


The Prince and the Prat (Guess Who's Who)

by cosmicaddress



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst, Arthur Finds Out About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Canon Era, Diplomacy, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Hostage Situations, Hurt Merlin (Merlin), Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, M/M, Magic Revealed, Merthur - Freeform, Post-Magic Reveal, Protective Arthur, Ransom, Royalty, i overtagged my last merlin fic and somehow i can't think of any tags for this one, merlin whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:47:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24831076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmicaddress/pseuds/cosmicaddress
Summary: “He’s more than just a servant.  He’s a prince.  And I’m in love with him.”//The bandits didn't see any reason to keep Merlin alive when Arthur was the one with real ransom value.  Arthur claims that Merlin is much more than a servant...in multiple ways.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 109
Kudos: 656





	1. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> why must i write the first chapter in a matter of days and then take a month to write the second one? i don't know, but i'm going to keep myself from posting each chapter until i have the next one finished. please enjoy this!! i have no idea when i'll finish the third so i can post the second lol

Arthur Pendragon was so done with his servant, Merlin.

Alright, that might be a bit harsh, but the young man was fairly incompetent as a servant. This morning, they were meant to have left precisely when the sun was highest in the sky. Arthur did not make it out of his chambers before then.

Perhaps he was being a bit difficult himself. He did make the process of getting ready for the day harder than it needed to be for Merlin. Was it such a crime to want to have some fun and tease his servant at the beginning of the day? No, it was no crime at all, Arthur was the master and Merlin was the servant, and they had gotten a lot closer over the past couple years. He knew Merlin could take it.

Okay, Arthur felt a tiny amount of guilt. Merlin did seem stressed recently, given the huge task the two would have ahead of them. Foreigners had not come from so far in a very long time, in fact, not in Arthur's lifetime. The prince only primarily knew of Odin, Cenred, and Caerleon, as well as a bit of knowledge about more distant rulers like Kings Olaf and Alfred and that of the land of Tregor.

This upcoming journey held the utmost importance as Camelot did not retain many allies at the moment. Peace talks would occur with Olaf and the other kings soon, but Arthur knew that not all of them would truly seek peace. All kings wanted the best for themselves, some the best for their own kingdom. He wouldn't kid himself into believing that any of them, particularly Uther, wanted the best for all the lands.

The Kingdom of Marlin (yes, Arthur _would_ be taking this opportunity to annoy Merlin by calling him Marlin instead) was all the way across the Great Seas of Meredor. Arthur had heard of it, but only in brief passages of his books or in a short description by his tutors growing up. Camelot had not traded with Marlin for a very long time, although Arthur was not entirely sure why. Uther had never told him much about the farther lands. The king chose instead to focus on the nearest enemies (read: every surrounding land; Uther did not make true allies often).

Arthur had read up on the Kingdom of Marlin for this upcoming task, however, as his father had deemed it an appropriate time for Arthur to discover this new part of the world. Arthur knew that this allowance had only been given to serve to Uther's advantage in trading and resources. Arthur only wished he could have learned about the kingdom sooner. He would surely come up on conversation topics for which he was unprepared simply because of the limited time he had to broaden his knowledge on their kingdom.

Despite all of these hindrances, Arthur did know quite a bit about Marlin now. It was a kingdom based on a small system of islands to the west on the far side of the Great Seas of Meredor. They mainly dealt with fishing and collecting resources from the seas. 

This food resource was something Uther was eager to have, particularly because of the recent incidents they had had involving their grain. In general, annual yields had been decreasing, and there was also the whole unicorn situation. Camelot did not have many skilled fishers since the kingdom was so far from the coast and they had always had extensive fertile land. Plus, the most desireable fish resided in the western seas, not on the eastern coast of the Great Seas of Meredor.

Arthur's stomach turned a bit thinking about the upcoming weeks with representatives of Marlin. They would surely be bringing some of their fish over in order to entice the nobles into favoring good trade relations between their kingdoms, and Arthur had never liked fish. To be fair, the only fish he had eaten before had been from a village in western Camelot in a small pub. Certainly anything worthy of royals would taste much better.

Arthur focused back on the task at hand. Representatives from the Kingdom of Marlin would be arriving on the western coast of Camelot soon, and their royal family would be visiting as well. Since their peoples were essentially strangers, Uther had decided to show good faith by sending Arthur to personally escort them from the beach to their citadel. Morgana would be coming as well to greet them. Arthur suspected this choice had something to do with the fact that one of the visitors of Marlin would be a prince, but he didn't dare mention it. Morgana hated being paraded around like some prize.

Now that Arthur and Merlin were running late, Morgana and Gwen had departed ahead of them, along with a large escort of knights. Uther didn't want to take any chances with Morgana and any travelling bandits, particularly on such a widely publicized journey. Arthur was more focused on the two women not encountering danger as they had so recently, especially since he knew that Uther cared nothing for Gwen's safety.

Arthur still stood in his chambers now, watching his servant pack away the last of his supplies. Arthur shifted between his feet every now and then, hands resting on his hips as he waited. He was starting to regret chucking nearly every breakfast dish he had used that morning at Merlin. Perhaps he was actually in some kind of pain, and that's why this was taking so long. Or maybe it was just the extra work of cleaning up the area around the table. Regardless of whose fault it was, Arthur could always blame Merlin due to his superiority in status, and they would both be late.

"Merlin, are we going to be ready any time soon, or do I need to send ahead some other members of the court to keep the visitors entertained for the next week?" Arthur called out. His lips curled in amusement at the familiarly annoyed look which Merlin sent his way. Sure, many servants held quiet distaste for their masters, but Merlin always behaved genuinely around Arthur and didn't have that same fear of his criticisms being perceived and reprimanded. Arthur had thought from day one that this quality of Merlin's was naive and foolish, and it still was in the presence of anyone except Arthur, but it had come to feel quite refreshing as opposed to the usual unconditional deference to his royal authority. Merlin was something special.

“Oh, yes, sire, I apologize for getting a throbbing headache while I had to do so much work." Merlin smiled as he picked up the bags which would supply them for a few days as they traveled to the coast and back. He shot Arthur a pointed look. "I have no idea how that could have happened; in fact, it seems impossible since you were standing there doing _nothing_ that whole time, per usual."

Arthur walked over to Merlin and scruffed his hair a bit, then guided him toward the door with a hand on his back. "Come _on_ , Merlin, or people will wonder what we were getting up to."

He felt great pride at the slight blush that appeared on Merlin's face. Arthur knew Merlin that could rile him up so easily.

"Oh, I'm sure they already are," Merlin teased back, a sly grin spreading across his face. He walked just a bit ahead of Arthur now, not looking back.

Now Arthur blushed, and he knew that Merlin could rile him up easily as well.

The two of them walked side-by-side for the majority of the way, although Arthur pointedly strided ahead a few times. He couldn't let Merlin think he had won, no matter how much he rightfully deserved a place at Arthur's side. He made sure to fall back to his servant once they reached the courtyard. He wouldn't have anyone thinking Merlin was just some lowly servant. For some strange reason, he couldn't bear that idea.

They approached their horses and Merlin began loading their bags onto his horse, Aurelia. Arthur watched as his servant took a moment to pet his horse. Merlin had grown quite attached to her.

Arthur took some snacks from the stable boys and fed some to his own horse before sliding some to Aurelia. He patted the mare absentmindedly as he dug out a few coins from his pouch and tossed them to the stable boys. He nodded at their looks of gratitude and they were on their way, leaving Arthur and Merlin alone and ready to begin their journey.

Merlin seemed to have finished up with their bags and now stood there, appearing to look at Arthur. The prince turned his head and spotted some servants carrying trays of food behind him. That must be it.

"Come on, Merlin, we'll be having plenty of food in a few days, I'm sure you'll steal some off my plates," Arthur said as he returned to his own horse. He didn't even need to turn around to know what Merlin's reaction would be, but the scoff that sounded from the servant's direction told the prince enough. He chuckled and placed a hand on the saddle. " _Well_ , Merlin?"

Merlin rolled his eyes but, after a pointed moment, dutifully walked over to help Arthur onto his horse. Arthur resisted the urge to snort, as that would be highly inappropriate for someone of his status, and actually just to make Merlin suffer. Merlin always took their relationship as a game, one which was evenly matched, and he never backed down from the challenge. He also never let Arthur lose, either. So Arthur nodded in appreciation.

Merlin then climbed onto Aurelia, giving her neck a few rubs as he waited for Arthur's command, not an ounce of annoyance on his face. Arthur jerked his head toward the gates exiting the courtyard.

The two of them rushed out of the kingdom, their horses galloping side by side.

* * *

Their journey would carry them westward toward the Great Seas of Meredor, winding through the White Mountains and then a fair amount of wooded area. Arthur wasn't particularly looking forward to passing through the Valley of the Fallen Kings; unlucky things always seemed to befall them there.

Since they hadn't left until late afternoon, they were forced to make camp in the mountains rather than in a forest clearing like they were used to. Arthur looked around warily at the surrounding cliffs; he felt exposed, and it would be very easy for animals or even people to approach them without detection.

Arthur now lay in his bedroll, hopelessly curled up against the scant brush Merlin had been able to find. The servant himself had elected to lean his bedroll against some of their bags. Arthur suspected that he had chosen the bag with their spare clothes.

He stared into the dark sky at the twinkling stars and sighed, his eyes fully open since they wouldn't stay shut. An ugly caw sounded, jerking him from his peaceful reflection and forcing the hairs on his arms to stand up again. He shoved his arms beneath his bedroll.

Arthur casually rolled his head over to the left, peering over at his servant. Merlin somehow managed to fall asleep peacefully, and was now letting out some amusing snores. Arthur had no idea how Merlin could be so at ease, but, then again, he had always been like that. Unless he disagreed with something, like the nobles' hunting. Otherwise, Merlin was able to find his own comfort in any situation. It was quite admirable, really.

The prince shook himself and decidedly turned his body onto his right side, squeezing his eyes shut. He was a prince, he was the most admirable of them all. If Merlin could do it, Arthur could do ten times better.

Arthur wished he could be ten times better than Merlin; that was impossible, though, he thought lazily. As he drifted off to sleep, his mind stopped trying to figure out who surpassed Merlin in simply _being_. Apparently his brain decided that that was a hopeless task, as the prince began snoring within minutes.

* * *

The prince and the servant usually talked copiously during their journeys, bantering away the boredom of riding their horses for hours on end. Sometimes they delved into serious matters and ideas, particularly if Arthur had some troubling decision to make or if someone they cared for needed rescuing, but mostly they simply made jokes and lightened each other up.

Arthur relished these journeys with Merlin, even if he would never admit it. Camelot had many pretty areas, and his servant only made the peaceful environment brighter by bringing a jovial air. Arthur's world was made less stuffy by twofold.

Now, though, the pair held their breath. They did not speak, they did not look at one another, even. Arthur's eyes darted cautiously around the trees and hills surrounding them. He had to force himself to keep their horses at a slow, quiet pace rather than urge them on and far beyond their current location.

The jovial air had given way to the uneasy misfortune inherent to the Valley of the Fallen Kings. Arthur wasn't entirely sure why, but things always seemed to go wrong there. It was ridiculous; they had been attacked plenty of times in plenty of other places, but this one area stuck out the most. There was something different about their misfortunes here.

He grimaced at a sudden bad taste in his mouth. Perhaps today's misfortune would simply be accidentally eating a bug.

They were about halfway through when something ahead of them creaked. Arthur instantly stuck his hand out and stopped his horse, Merlin soon following suit. They seemed to hold their breath in even more somehow as their eyes trailed around the area.

Arthur swiftly slid off of his horse, patting her a couple times, vainly trying to calm her. A nervous horse would not only make unwanted noise, but could also be startled into running off. Arthur had a feeling that they really didn't want that to happen right here, right now.

Another branch snapped, this time behind them. The prince tensed, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly. He had been hoping the first noise had been an animal. But if there was something both in front of and behind them, they could be surrounded.

Arthur nodded at Merlin and then towards his own position. Without a word, Merlin got off of Aurelia and stood at Arthur's back, their eyes scanning the woods in every direction. Arthur felt an unquiet fear run over him as he gazed up at the steep hill beside them.

They were trapped on two sides, and any enemy could easily choose to either maintain the high ground or slide down and engage them in battle in a heartbeat.

Leaves began rustling from behind a tree that had been in their path, and Arthur slowly drew his sword from its sheath. He stalked forward, carefully choosing his every step and still watching their surroundings out of the corners of his eyes. He focused on the tree.

Suddenly a rabbit came hopping out from behind the trunk, and Arthur definitely did not jump in surprise. Or terror.

Relief flooded over him, replacing the fast beating of his heart. Perhaps there was a family of rabbits around them. Sadly, that relief was short-lived. Who ever actually saw a whole group of rabbits together, anyway? Now that he thought about it, actually, Arthur could remember a time when he had seen a rabbit family.

It turned out that this was not the time to be thinking about trivial things such as that, as a large group of screaming bandits suddenly jumped out from the hills around them. Why they were screaming, Arthur did not know. Sneaking up on them would have made the pair go down much easier and more quickly, although the bandits very clearly had a huge advantage in numbers anyway. This ambush had enough surprise in it already.

Arthur immediately spun around to check on Merlin, who seemed unusually calm. Arthur didn't really understand why Merlin would be so calm, it wasn't as if the servant had any fighting skill that could save them whatsoever. Maybe he just believed in Arthur's skill, Arthur told himself, though that was cause for concern. Against these numbers, that kind of point of view could only mean Merlin had a random head injury.

The servant in question drew his own sword, the one Arthur had given him just in case. Unfortunate situations befell them far too often, so they had to be prepared for anything. Hopefully Merlin would flail around and accidentally run into one of the bandits, as he was so good at doing on a daily basis.

A beat passed as they pressed their backs further against one another, bracing themselves for the oncoming fight. Then the bubble burst and swords began clashing, grunts coming from both sides.

Arthur did manage to take out a significant number of bandits and to injure a few more, and it sounded as if the same was true for Merlin. Arthur elected to feel relief and find solace in that fact rather than waste time wondering how it was possible.

Still, the prince had known from the very beginning of the fight that they had no chance. There were simply too many of them, and the bandits battled with a bolder tenacity than the ones Arthur was accustomed to running into (and running through). Perhaps they were from Odin's lands, though that would be a whole problem in itself. Their southern borders had never been very secure in comparison to the rest and some wanderers had stranded themselves in Camelot, but never this many. Additionally, the Valley of the Fallen Kings was much too far north for this to be an innocent case.

Something nefarious was happening here, but it was too early for Arthur to comprehend what it was. For one, he did not have nearly enough information. Also, he had just suffered a rather nasty blow to his head.

Luckily, it didn't knock him out. That was always a good sign. Especially since he was trying and failing to calm his rapidly beating heart as the band of bandits swelled and then tightened around the two travelers.

A yelp from behind him instantaneously sent a chill down Arthur's spine, and in the midst of his shuddering spin, he was forced down onto his knees. The progress he had made in that spin did allow him to spot Merlin from the corner of his left eye.

The servant was conscious, but only just. Arthur's brows furrowed as he took in the streaks of red flowing from somewhere near Merlin's neck. They wouldn't be escaping any time soon.

Arthur himself could, perhaps, but he wouldn't.

At that moment, a woman, taller than the rest of the bandits approached the captured pair from the back lines of the bandits. Arthur eyed this leader's still-sheathed sword and the complete lack of injuries on her body and noticed her calm disposition. _Someone_ seemed to simply tell their followers what to do rather than actually lead them.

"What do we have here?" The leader sneered, her lip curling up and revealing her yellow teeth. Her eyes swept over Merlin, paused for a moment in some sick sort of glee, and then made their way to Arthur. They lingered for a moment before Arthur saw the familiar spark that lit up in people's eyes often on journeys. "Ah, if it isn't the Crown Prince of Camelot himself!"

A repulsive murmur meandered through the crowd of bandits. Apparently the majority of them also hadn't picked up on Arthur's identity until now despite the fact that Arthur was literally bearing a shield and plenty of supplies with the Camelot coat of arms. Not an intelligent crowd, then. Good.

"I would have thought that you would have put up more of a fight," the leader jibed, sending a laugh through her followers. "If I had known that the prince would be this easy to defeat, I would have gone after Camelot's walls much sooner."

"You mean your followers would have gone after Camelot," Arthur retorted, jerking his body in an attempt to escape the grip which three of the bandits held him in. Obviously _they_ were worried about the fight he could put up. " _You_ would just sit back and give orders."

"I'm in way better shape then you are, though, look who's talking." The leader proceeded to smack Arthur across his cheek. Very dignified.

"This one's just a serving boy," said one of the other bandits. He appeared to be second-in-command based on his position next to the leader and air of authority. Every bandit had given the other two space. “He’ll be a hassle.”

A grin came over the leader’s face. Arthur furrowed his brows, glancing back tentatively at Merlin.

“Well, there’s no reason to keep a servant around when we have the prince, now is there?” The leader snickered and then straightened her posture, crossing her arms. “Alastor, kill him.”

Arthur’s stomach dropped.

The second-in-command, who seemed to be called Alastor, took one threatening step forward. His fingers danced across the various weapons on his belt before settling on a dagger.

Arthur watched in horror as the man drew the dagger and raised it above his head. Never before had the prince been so powerless to save his servant.

...or was he?

“Wait!” Arthur shouted, throwing all of his weight around Merlin’s side to shield him. The bandits who had been holding him soon regained their grip, but Alastor paused. “You can’t kill him!”

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t.” Alastor rolled his eyes, already readying his dagger to strike.

“I’ll give you two.” Arthur took a deep breath and put on his most serious face. It wasn’t difficult to fake the severity and care when defending Merlin’s life. “He’s more than just a servant. He’s a prince. And I’m in love with him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! this is a wip (as i said, i've only finished up to the end of the second chapter), so i don't have it ~entirely~ planned out, but i have a general sense of the direction of the story, so expect more sometime soon! i promise i'll try not to abandon it :)
> 
> find me on tumblr @ cosmicaddress !!


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh i loved the response i got to the last chapter!! i don't usually get comments so it was nice to hear from yall :)
> 
> i hope you enjoy this one!

Everyone was rather silent at that announcement, including Arthur and Merlin. Arthur rather wanted the bandits to just kill him now, although his caring about Merlin ruined that plan.

Now he would actually have to deal with his feelings.

The silence broke with spurts of laughter coming from first the bandit’s leader, then Alastor, then the rest of the bandits. The followers all kept glancing back at the leader as if unsure exactly what she found funny.

Arthur knew, of course. His claims were pretty ridiculous. The leader likely had a few more drops of intelligence than the rest of the bandits and realized that what the prince (the real one) had said couldn’t be true.

“A prince, you say? And you’re _in love_?” The bandit leader snickered, doubtfully glancing over the tied-up pair. She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows. “You expect us to believe that _that_ boy is a _prince_?”

“Look at his clothes, there’s no way,” Alastor lightly grazed his hand over Merlin’s fallen scarf. He had worn the red one today. Arthur liked the red one.

Arthur needed to think of something, and fast.

“I, um…” Arthur racked his brain for any possible reason for a prince to be dressed like a servant. And, now that he thought about it, to be carrying everything on his horse. “I made him wear those clothes.”

A prince’s power had to count for something, right? Though his royal status wouldn’t supersede Merlin’s supposed identity…

“And why would he comply?” Alastor narrowed his eyes and tilted his head. Now he seemed to study Merlin very, very carefully.

“We made a bet,” Arthur said, hoping that his younger reputation had spread farther throughout the lands than his more responsible recent one. He did use to hang around nobles a lot more, and take advantage of his royal status. Juvenile bets and petty pranks had been the only fun thing he could do when his friends weren’t really true friends. “He lost and had to carry all my stuff. I thought it would be funny to make him dress like a servant, too. And make him look ridiculous.”

Thankfully, the bandit’s laughter took a pause as they looked back to Merlin. Thank the heavens that Merlin’s usual outfit was so distinctive and out of the fashion of the Lower Town, it served the joking humiliation part of the story he had spun well. Merlin didn’t respond to the jibe at his outfit.

“Thea, a word?” Alastor set a hand on the bandit leader’s, apparently Thea’s, shoulder. She nodded and they walked over behind the very tree Arthur had approached because of the rabbit.

If only they had kept riding. Arthur was sure that someone had perhaps trapped that rabbit and set it free as they came by. They wouldn’t have been taken down so easily if they had continued on their horses, and there was no other reason for them to have gotten on foot and investigated the area.

How did they know to ambush them here, though? Sure, Morgana and Gwen had come through earlier with the guard, revealing the determined official path, but the bandits would have no reason to believe that Arthur and Merlin hadn’t been with them.

The bandits had been surprised to find out that it was Arthur whom they had captured. They weren’t planning a royal kidnapping.

Arthur decided that this had simply happened by chance. These bandits had only meant to rob some unfortunate travelers, not create a national crisis. Still, they had lucked their way into a significant ransom, and that made them dangerous. And Arthur still had a feeling that they had come from the south, not from within Camelot, and that troubled him.

He broke from his thoughts when Thea and Alastor came marching back, their followers making a path for them to stand just before Arthur and Merlin. Thea fixed her steely gaze on Merlin.

“What kingdom is this one from, then?” She asked, reaching forward to grasp Merlin’s hair. She jerked his head up. Arthur bit his cheek to keep from shouting out; Merlin looked out of it enough, and he didn’t want Thea lashing out at the servant in anger because Arthur had said something. “What’s his name?”

“Merlin,” Arthur answered quickly. He could feel the tension hanging in the air and knew that he needed to convince the bandits as soon as possible. Thankfully, a good story had come to mind. “He’s Prince Merlin of Marlin.”

Arthur had never met bandits who laughed quite as much as these ones did. Admittedly, Arthur had found the whole Merlin-Marlin combination pretty funny earlier, and had planned on joking about it with the servant later. Still, bandits usually conducted themselves in a more serious and threatening manner.

He sighed and gave his best explanation. His teasing of Merlin would have been about coincidence, but he supposed that the queens of Marlin would need a reason to have named their prince something so similar to the name of their kingdom. "Well, the kingdom of Marlin is named after the marlin fish, something very rare in their waters and considered legendary. It's quite funny, actually, they wanted to honor the marlin by naming Merlin after it, but they didn't want to confuse people about whether they were discussing the kingdom or their son. They changed one letter, but it actually ends up being more confusing as people mix up which is which. And many people laugh upon hearing his name, I did when we first met."

It sounded ridiculous, but, oddly, the story fit. If Merlin were the Prince of Marlin, his name surely would make the history books. Hopefully Arthur had given a convincing performance since he had researched Marlin so much. Perhaps he could pass off what he knew as things that Merlin had told him.

Thea and Alastor shared a look, and Arthur couldn't quite make out their expressions. They didn't seem to reject what he had said, but they may not have fully believed it.

"Assuming all of this is true," Thea said, still looking skeptical, "why were the two of you here in the first place? I thought the delegation from Marlin wouldn't be arriving until today, and you're travelling toward the coast, not Camelot."

Ah. So the bandits may not be the sharpest swords in the armory, but Thea seemed to be a little more intelligent. Although her knowledge didn't only display intelligence, she had to have learned the information from somewhere. Usually bandits didn't pay attention to royal affairs. Maybe he had been wrong about the surprise of capturing a royal, she was only surprised that it had happened here, today.

"Ah, well, Merlin got here early," Arthur explained, letting a smile cross his face as he looked back at Merlin. Thanks to himself, he had to not only convince them that Merlin was a prince but also that he was in love with the prat (yes, he had earned the right to call Merlin that; after all, Merlin was now a prince as well). "Our parents wanted us to get to know one another first, make a friendship. Well, we definitely accomplished that."

That got a couple whistles, quickly silenced by Alastor. Thea seemed amused.

"We were on our way back to the coast to escort the rest of the royal family to Camelot." Arthur hoped that the grain of truth in this story would work to their advantage. The purpose for their journey was the same, and Marlin did have a prince; the two of them would just need to hope that the bandits didn't question it too much.

Thea and Alastor seemed to be the only ones concerned with Arthur’s story, but also hopeful of whatever their plans were. The rest of the bandits stood silently, waiting for their leader to speak. As far as Arthur could tell, they didn’t really know just how large of a ransom two princes could justify. Honestly, it would probably _help_ if they found out; that would likely encourage better treatment of Arthur and Merlin to ensure as plentiful a prize as possible.

Still, Arthur worried. These may be bumbling bandits only concerned about money, but Thea was _different_ , Alastor too. They were much more calculating and hesitant in spite of the obvious chance of fortune on which they had stumbled.

Merlin chose to mumble a few words at that moment, but Arthur didn’t catch them. The servant’s head remained slumped, but now his body sank, as if giving into exhaustion.

On a completely unrelated note, Arthur noticed, one of the bandits seemed to have knocked his head into a tree branch. Arthur snorted. Definitely idiots.

Thea and Alastor weren’t, though. At Merlin’s mumblings, they sharpened their focus on the two young men.

“Where are your insignia rings?” Alastor spoke up. So they were vaguely familiar with how the nobility traveled. Arthur would have to trust that they weren’t too familiar. “If you can’t prove your identities, you’re not worth our time.”

“On my hand, of course,” Arthur responded, letting his lips turn upward at the sneers crossing Thea and Alastor’s faces. Obviously they would have to loosen Arthur’s arm to reach the ring, but he couldn’t take advantage of it. Merlin was in no state to escape, even if Arthur could manage to clear a path.

The bandits holding him tentatively loosened their grips, allowing him to slide his arm to the side and up above his shoulder. One of them quickly grabbed his arm and held it in place.

Thea walked forward, harshly yanking the ring off of his finger. She inspected it with care, scrutinizing it closely. Arthur thought the Pendragon crest was fairly recognizable, so she should know it. At least this part of his story wasn’t a lie: Uther always ensured that Arthur and Morgana carry their rings so that foreigners wouldn’t mistake them for common people.

Thea took a bit longer than he had expected, but, predictably, the ring satisfied her. She focused her gaze on Arthur and squinted as if trying to figure something out. Then she turned toward Merlin.

“And his ring?”

This part would be another lie. At this point, getting caught in any one statement could negate all the others. He had to bet on that vague familiarity not being deeper than the bandit leaders had let on.

“He doesn’t wear his,” Arthur said. He didn’t entirely remember reading anything about Marlin nobility, but hopefully this would at least stop any further searching for Merlin’s credentials. “He put it with some luggage. It’s with the convoy farther ahead, we were supposed to leave with them but ran late.”

Thea scowled at this, but didn’t contest it. Arthur suspected that the potential ransom outweighed the risk of taking a peasant prisoner. If anything, Merlin _not_ being a prince would mean less forces out looking for the bandits. Essentially a win-win for both outcomes and both parties: Merlin wouldn't die, and the bandits would have a large payout with Arthur alone, more if Merlin really was a prince.

"Let's get a move on, then," she barked, already turning away to get to the front of the group. She paused in her tracks, jerking her head toward something. As she walked towards it, Arthur followed her path with her eyes and grimaced. She had approached Aurelia.

He held his tongue as the leader mounted Merlin's horse. At least Merlin seemed no longer able to comprehend what had just occurred, although that implied a whole slew of other problems. Still, Arthur knew that if Merlin _were_ capable of intelligent thought right now, he would have thrown his intelligence out the window and said something to get himself hurt in his anger.

The bandits holding Arthur forced him to his feet. He would comply with their demands to a certain point to protect Merlin and keep from angering the leaders, but he would make damn well sure that these ruffians had a hard time enforcing those orders. They didn't deserve anything less.

The people next to him failed to force Merlin to his feet in the same fashion, but that didn't slow them down. They simply dragged him along. Arthur supposed that, despite the flaunting of royal status, they only cared that the two of them lived. When this was over, Arthur would ensure that they knew that he cared a great deal beyond that.

* * *

The bandits had turned backwards from where Arthur and Merlin had been traveling, and they soon made their way back into the White Mountains. The unquiet nature of the Valley of the Kings left Arthur, but the uneasiness of the mountains returned to him. He could only hope that the exposed areas which had made him feel unsafe before would aid Camelot's knights in finding the bandits and rescuing the two soon.

Every time Arthur tried to look back at Merlin, one of the bandits forced his head forward. All Arthur knew was that his servant was whimpering in pain, and the real prince did not like that one bit.

They soon entered a cave, hidden just beside the path he and Merlin had taken the day before. Arthur supposed the bandits could have spotted them yesterday and followed their tracks, although it would have been difficult for so many people to get ahead of the two.

Looking around the cave, Arthur determined that this must be a makeshift hideout set up specifically for the ambush. It was very sparsely outfitted with some weapons and food stores. The main object drawing his eyes, however, towered menacingly above the group.

A large cage sat above the middle of the cavern, four chains dangling from the ceiling to the corners of its roof. The bars looked thick and old, and the whole structure looked as if it had been there for some time. Perhaps the hideout wasn’t so makeshift.

It was safe to say that that cage was meant for the two of them. It was not safe to say how exactly they would be getting up there.

Okay, apparently these kidnappings were much smoother when both he and Merlin were princes. Sure, the bandits didn’t care enough to not jostle them around, but at least Merlin wasn’t treated like absolute dirt. That was always the hardest part of being captured, knowing Merlin’s only value to captors was his relation to Arthur.

The two were lifted through a panel on the bottom of the cage, a panel which Arthur noted had a lock. The only way to open it would be with the key, then.

As soon as they were inside, the panel was shut, locked with a key that soon disappeared into another room. Merlin slumped against one of the corners, causing the cage to swing through the air a bit, though the four chains helped control it. Arthur figured the builders hadn’t wanted a giant cage swinging dangerously around the room, taking out kidnappers left and right. Unfortunate insight on their part.

Arthur quickly moved over to Merlin, pulling the servant up against himself so that he lay with his back on Arthur’s chest. Merlin’s eyes were closed, but his expression was tense; definitely not entirely knocked out, at least not yet.

“Merlin?” Arthur asked, waving a hand in front of Merlin’s face. Merlin’s eyelids fluttered. “Merlin, can you hear me?”

Merlin let out a soft groan, slowly opening his eyes. He squinted for a moment, and then, suddenly, his chest began heaving.

“Merlin? Merlin? Are you alright? What’s happening?” Arthur exclaimed worriedly, running his hands on Merlin’s chest, trying to figure out what was wrong. The servant wouldn’t stop shaking.

“Arthur…” Merlin trailed off, still shaking. For a moment, he stilled, long enough to speak once more. “My love…” The shaking continued.

“Merlin!” Arthur half-yelled, but with a faint smile on his face. So Merlin was out of it enough not to be seriously questioning why Arthur had gone with the story he had, but still awake enough to joke and to not be seriously injured. Good, for now at least.

The bandits disappeared soon thereafter, all save two venturing farther into the cave. Those two split up, one at the entrance and the other by the path down which everyone else had gone. Neither seemed close enough to listen in on Arthur and Merlin as long as they didn’t shout. Small blessings.

“Can you sit up?” Arthur asked, bracing his arms so that Merlin wouldn’t slip. The servant raised his body for mere moments before wincing, and he let his body fall back against Arthur’s. Arthur had to guess that the head injury was too serious. “Any escape attempt won’t work today. We need to focus on getting your strength back.”

“You thought I had strength before?” Merlin murmured, a smile tugging at his lips. He soon drew it back, though, and focused his gaze as much as he could on Arthur. “You know I won’t say anything. I won’t betray you.”

“I know,” Arthur responded grimly. “That’s what I’m worried about.”

Arthur couldn’t gauge exactly what would happen in this situation, and it was nagging at him. Normally, Merlin’s status as the prince’s personal manservant would place him directly in danger. Not only did he have such a close relationship with Arthur, but he had access to information which doubly warranted his torture to get either him or Arthur to talk. Now Merlin could be suspected of having royal information from Marlin, and his supposed romantic connection to Arthur could very well leak into information about Camelot. And either of them could conceivably be used as extreme leverage over the other. Although, Arthur noted, that normally was true, even if their captors couldn’t see just how deep it ran in the servant-master relationship.

“Neither of us can say anything,” Arthur asserted, staring straight at one of the many cracks in the wall. “It’s going to be different now that you’re a royal prisoner. They’ll focus a lot more on subtle deprivations. Light, food, maybe each other. They won’t do messy physical torture for a few days, then it will get ugly. They’re mainly focused on the ransom, but they’ll slowly realize they can get information out of us too.”

“Information about Marlin,” Merlin realized after a few moments. His breathing picked up a bit and his whole body tensed. “I don’t know that, Arthur, I grew up on the opposite border, they’re going to figure it out, they’re going to realize I’m worthless.”

“You are not worthless,” Arthur replied sharply. His face went a bit red and he cleared his throat. “I mean, um, you still hold value as my servant. I can’t promise anything about how they’ll force information out of you then, but they will not kill you. I will never let that happen.”

“Okay, okay.” Merlin sighed, his body sagging once again. “I won’t let anything happen to you either.”

“I feel so safe,” Arthur deadpanned, letting Merlin relax (as much as one could in this situation) for a moment. “We need to start now on Marlinian culture. I’ve been reading up on them for a few weeks now. Hopefully you can remember enough so that there will be some truth to your performance.”

“My performance?” Merlin questioned, his head cocked to the side.

“Why, yes, Merlin,” Arthur answered in a matter-of-fact tone. “You’re playing a prince. It’s a very difficult role to have in life.”

“I think I might have it just a smidge harder,” Merlin protested, but didn’t argue too much as Arthur began recounting information about Marlin. Arthur didn’t realize how bookishly apt his servant was, but Merlin _did_ study with Gaius. He seemed to retain a lot of information.

Maybe, one day, Merlin could write his speeches and letters for him. Arthur wouldn’t mind him being prince in that regard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading!! this chapter was a bit slow but i promise that the action really escalates in the next chapter :)
> 
> yell at me on tumblr @ cosmicaddress !!


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just wanted to say that i've added an archive warning for graphic violence; it doesn't happen in this chapter, it'll be in the next, but i just wanted to explicitly say it here since i didn't have it before. it's just one section, but please be warned!
> 
> enjoy this chapter :) i had a lot of fun writing it!

They had been left alone for maybe an hour or two before Arthur heard movement from the path that led deeper into the cave. He and Merlin looked at each other, the latter wide-eyed, both holding their breath. Arthur threw his arm around Merlin’s shoulders in a panic, ignoring how Merlin’s eyes somehow widened even more.

Arthur quietly shushed Merlin as Thea and Alastor walked into the room, having dismissed the guard in the path. They sent the front guard farther in front of the cave before making their way over beside the cage.

“Hello again, Princes Arthur and Merlin,” Thea said as she dragged her fingers across the bars. “Comfortable, I hope?”

Arthur only glared at her, eyeing the weapons on the table behind her warily. He wasn’t too sure when those would be put to use.

“We’re sending out your ransom notes,” She continued, Alastor holding up two sealed letters behind her. Arthur could see the faint bulge from his insignia ring within one of them. “We’ll send one of ours to Camelot, but we thought we’d let you choose which horse goes to the Great Seas of Meredor.”

“Send Aurelia,” Arthur replied instantly, glancing at Merlin before returning his stare to Thea’s face. “Merlin’s mare, the brown one.”

Thea narrowed her eyes, studying the two men slumped together in the cage. “Alastor, send someone with the letter on Prince Arthur’s horse to the western coast.”

“No!” Arthur protested, jerking his body toward Thea for a moment before remembering the injured servant against his side. He sat back in defeat but didn’t lose his glare. He should have seen this coming, but he supposed it wasn’t only to hurt them. This was a test. If he had known the opposite horse would be sent and so had said his own horse, Thea would have suspected something about the truth of their relationship.

Alastor left through the entrance of the cave and came back without the letters. Arthur sighed as he realized that that could only mean they had left some more bandits behind outside when they had arrived. It wasn’t only the one guard, if he had been alone and sent with the notes then there wouldn’t be a guard anymore. Arthur didn’t think the two leaders were stupid enough to leave the entrance defenseless.

“While you two are hanging around,” Thea paused, a smile hidden beside her eyes. “Why don’t we talk? Share a little bit about each other? Say, Arthur, what trade route of Camelot is your favorite?”

Arthur raised his eyebrows. This wasn’t a very subtle attempt at interrogation, then. He supposed that she didn’t need to be subtle; they were entirely at her mercy. She hadn’t quite moved into any incentives to break, though, so he kept his mouth shut.

“The ones where there aren’t idiotic bandits like you attacking people.” Merlin did not keep his mouth shut. Even with that pounding headache of his...Arthur wasn’t surprised. He did take the opportunity to whack the servant in the arm. Gently, though. Merlin didn’t need to suffer any more injuries.

Thea was not so concerned about Merlin’s health. She walked around the right side of the cage to the corner where Merlin was and yanked at his hair, pulling his head against the side of the cage right next to her mouth. In a hushed tone, she snarled at him, “For a prince, you don’t seem to have very good manners.”

“Oh, he does, you just don’t deserve them,” Arthur retorted, desperate to draw attention away from Merlin. He couldn’t let Thea get caught up in her anger and decide that keeping the two of them in relatively good shape wasn’t worth it.

The leader looked at Arthur for a moment before making her way over to a chest, pulling something wrapped out. “I think I do, actually. How else do you think you’re going to get this?”

She unwrapped the bundle, revealing a loaf of bread. Arthur’s mouth watered, having missed out on a meal midday as that had been when they were captured. But he knew he could go longer without food. He always got hefty portions.

Right now, he wished he had paid more attention to how much food Merlin got.

“Now, let’s try again,” Thea said as she approached the cage once more, bread in hand. She held it right up near his nose and let the smell waft in. “Prince Arthur, what’s your favorite trade route to take?”

Arthur let himself look at though he was thinking for a moment before spitting all over the bread. If he couldn’t eat it, neither could they.

Thea let out a growl, but didn’t move towards the cage. Perhaps her question had reminded her of the two prisoners’ royal status. Any extreme injuries would incur the royal families’ wrath and relentless pursuit. Of course, Uther would be ruthless in his search for these bandits regardless, but she didn’t need to know that. Since they were worth so much in ransom, she wouldn’t risk them dying in captivity anyway.

“I didn’t need the reminder that you royals are pigs, but you’ve just proven it,” Alastor spoke up from the corner by the weapons table. His hands traced over a knife, his fingers brushing the handle. “We’ll see how long you last without your feasts and servants.”

Arthur snorted. This was _much_ better than when captors knew that Merlin was a servant.

* * *

This was _much_ worse than when captors knew that Merlin was a servant.

Usually, Arthur and Merlin would figure out their own way out of this since they knew that no rescue was coming. But Merlin wasn’t strong enough for any escape, and, with two royals, the bandits had given them a much heavier guard. Arthur wouldn’t be surprised if knights from Camelot ran into the bandits regardless of whether or not he were still captured. They needed to stay in order to keep the bandits busy and in place. Staying in place was much harder when they had to fashion Merlin’s complete identity into that of a prince, lest the bandits find out about Arthur’s lie and lash out.

It had been two days or so since the incident with the bread, as far as Arthur could tell. He had seen the guards change out four times. Thea and Alastor had left the two of them alone so far, but they wouldn’t soon, and Arthur knew why. The Great Seas of Meredor were just under a day’s ride from Camelot, the White Mountains about halfway between. The ransom could have come in by now.

Arthur hadn’t exactly figured out what would happen when the Marlin family wouldn’t pay.

He and Merlin spent the day reviewing information about Marlin over and over. Every second that they could convince the bandits that Merlin was a prince would give time for Camelot and perhaps Marlin to hopefully rescue them. This wasn’t like what happened with Morgana and Gwen; even if they knew the second captive wasn’t actually the Prince of Marlin, the royal families would still want to save Arthur. It was lucky they both had been taken; Merlin wouldn’t have received a royal rescue if he were alone, just like Gwen hadn’t.

“I don’t know that I’ve ever had a fish in my life,” Merlin muttered, shaking his head and scrunching his eyes. His head injury seemed to have improved a bit, but they still hadn’t gotten any food. They had water once per day, enough to keep them going, but Merlin was tired. Arthur already had a headache going on; he couldn’t imagine how Merlin felt. “Why did they name their kingdom after a fish that doesn’t live in their sea?”

“Precisely because it doesn’t live there,” Arthur repeated, though with a sour taste in his mouth. It was odd to put a random fish on a pedestal when most of their people likely had never even seen a marlin, let alone tasted one. “Maybe it tastes really good.”

“Trusting the taste of a bunch of old, dead royals?” Merlin chuckled lightly and crossed his arms. “Sounds about right.”

“ _Real_ princes know to respect their ancestors,” Arthur retorted. Merlin didn’t need to be worrying about this right now, he needed to remember absolutely everything. “Now, we need you to completely convince them—”

“—that you’re in love with me?” Merlin grinned, clearly using his energy to keep his eyes open to see Arthur’s face. His body seemed to struggle to contain his laughs. Arthur was not laughing.

But Merlin was right. Why did he have to be right? Why had Arthur gotten himself into this situation? Nothing would have been different if he had left it off at “He’s a prince.” He had just made this harder for them.

“Oh, shut it,” Arthur said, but without the usual bite. “I suppose we do need to prepare our story. They’ll be questioning us sometime soon since the ransom hasn’t arrived. How did we, um...start our relationship?”

“You challenged me to a friendly swordfight,” Merlin answered after a moment of thought Arthur began to protest (no one would ever believe that _Merlin_ could fight with a sword; the bandits had seen him try!), but Merlin held his finger up and continued. “I was so lousy at it that you absolutely humiliated me and decided to give me lessons. On the third day, you fell on top of me, and…”

“Alright, alright, we’ve got that done then.” Arthur cleared his throat. Finally, back to Marlinian minutiae. 

“Wait, what was the bet?” Merlin asked. Arthur stared blankly. “You know, the one that made me dress like a servant. No, wait, a _ridiculous_ -looking servant.”

“Ah, so you did hear that…” Arthur scratched his neck awkwardly. He had only meant to bolster their story, not make fun of Merlin. Well, he always liked to make fun of Merlin, but his distinct wardrobe was quite endearing. “How about...we were racing to see who could get ready for the day faster. Of course, that turned into us trying to delay each other, and that’s why we were late.”

“Playing up the teenage Arthur, are we?” Merlin mused, accepting the story. The two of them remained silent for a few minutes before he spoke again. “Arthur?”

“Yes?” Arthur responded. The serious look in Merlin’s eyes caused Arthur’s chest to be caught in his throat.

“Why _did_ you claim we were in love?” Merlin asked. His eyes stayed fixed on Arthur’s. Arthur couldn’t decipher the emotion in them. Then again, he could barely decipher his own emotions. He was already tearing himself up over the story he had chosen to claim, why did Merlin have to question him about it?

“Oh, you know…” Arthur made meaningless gestures in the air, trying to figure out what to say.

Luckily, he didn’t have to. Unluckily, this was due to the fact that Thea had just walked in. And she looked angry.

“Camelot has sent back a letter of negotiation.” Thea crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes in careful thought. The way her hand squeezed around her arm didn’t look promising for her temper control. “The Marlin delegation has not. Can you tell me why that might be?”

Arthur thanked the heavens that Thea chose to focus on this. Uther would pay a ransom if he really had to, but Arthur knew his father would be amassing knights to try to rescue him before paying anything. The negotiation letter must be a distraction. Marlin not sending one distracted Thea in the ransom, so hopefully she wouldn’t think of an impending attack. Still, this drew attention to Merlin’s story. They had to pray that it would hold out long enough for Camelot’s knights to find them.

“Marlin doesn’t negotiate with lowly bandits,” Merlin drawled. Arthur had told him to try to act a bit more high and mighty. A pompous attitude was the best way to distract commoners from a prince’s actual agenda. “Maybe your price was so low that they didn’t believe you had me.”

That was a misstep. Now Thea was angrier and she had the seed of thought that this wasn’t the Prince of Marlin. Arthur nudged Merlin, who thankfully stopped talking. The stakes here were a smidge too high for him not to listen.

“What he means is that they’re probably trying to confirm that he’s not in Camelot first,” Arthur explained, hoping that this could buy them time. “They probably haven’t found his insignia ring in his luggage, so they probably think it’s with him. You didn’t send it, so they have to investigate.”

Thea had paid careful attention to his every word, and her posture relaxed slightly. Still, she looked extremely skeptical, and she approached the cage.

Arthur hadn’t seen the dagger holstered to her side.

She didn’t go after Merlin, though. Instead, she held the dagger to Arthur’s throat, and yelled, “Alastor! The key!”

Alastor came from the dark pathway with the key to the cage. So she had him waiting there? That didn’t sit right with Arthur, but it wasn’t exactly the most pressing concern.

Alastor unlocked the panel on the cage floor, Merlin’s legs falling through the gaping hole. Alastor yanked him out, letting him fall to the floor. Merlin thankfully found the instincts to cover his head with his hands, though Arthur still heard a sickening crunch. He hoped that that was a finger and not a skull.

Thea didn’t remove the dagger from his throat until Alastor had locked the cage back up. She then knelt down and violently grabbed Merlin, pinning him down with one hand and twirling the dagger in the other. She sneered but didn’t make any other move.

“If you don’t answer all of my questions, I will slit your throat,” Thea snarled, shifting her knee to Merlin’s chest and pulling at his hair. She held her dagger at the ready and gestured to Arthur with it. “And I’ll make sure _he_ doesn’t go back with all of his limbs. What is your name?”

“Merlin, Merlin Macrae of Marlin,” Merlin choked out. Arthur winced as Thea dug her knee in deeper; what other answer could she have expected for that question? Her anger seemed to be increasing without prompting.

“Why is Marlin named ‘Marlin’?” She asked, cocking her head to the side. She was examining Merlin too closely, seeming to wait for certain words. _She knows_ , Arthur realized, _she knows the answer to that question_.

“After the fish, it’s rare to see in our waters, it’s legendary,” Merlin said. He had remembered, but was it enough? “It’s considered a sign when we see one, good fortune from the spirits.”

 _Too many details, Merlin, too many details_ , Arthur bit his cheek as much as he could without looking worried; Alastor was keeping an eye on him. Merlin couldn’t seem too eager to answer the questions, they’d just suspect he was trying too hard to convince them.

Luckily, Thea moved on, asking questions about the minutiae Arthur had thankfully taught Merlin. They went back and forth for a while.

“What is Marlin’s most prominent trade item?”

“Fish.”

 _Alright, that one’s pretty obvious, maybe she’s tried stealing from their trade ships before_? Arthur thought.

“What are the names of the rulers of Marlin?”

“Queen Flanna and Queen Deirdre.”

 _Something she could have heard from travelers she’s robbed_.

“Where in Marlin is the royal palace?”

“Right on the east coast in the Bay of Meredor.”

 _Maybe she’s stolen some maps before_.

Thea asked a few more questions, seemingly trivial things which Arthur had prepared Merlin for. Still, he didn’t understand why Thea was so prepared for them. They were tiny facts which Arthur only knew because he had been studying for weeks.

The bandit leader pounded Merlin with these questions relentlessly until she was satisfied. She then shifted the focus of her interrogation to Merlin and Arthur’s relationship. It was lucky that they had thought to work out a story.

She asked about the bet first, forcing Merlin to answer quietly and then hearing Arthur’s answer from beside the cage while Alastor took her place in pinning Merlin down.. Then she asked about their relationship.

“How did you two...become so close?” Thea whispered in his ear, clearly growing frustrated at the lack of any holes in their story. She seemed almost ready to give up for now and accept Arthur’s excuse.

When Arthur whispered back their prepared answer, though, she suddenly seemed to be in deep thought.

When Merlin gave their prepared answer, she looked ready to kill.

“I thought that the Prince of Marlin was an excellent swordsman.” She drummed her fingers along the handle of her dagger. “Perhaps I’m wrong. Perhaps he focused his time on his magic instead.”

Arthur’s jaw dropped. At least this would be a plausible reaction; if the Prince of Marlin really did have magic, he wouldn’t have told Arthur. Camelot’s hatred for magic was a tenet of its reputation. Not a large bright side, however, if the Prince of Marlin was supposed to have magic. Merlin could never sell that.

Merlin began glaring at Thea, likely because he knew he had no move to make. Arthur hadn’t and couldn’t have prepared him for this.

“Oh, come on, my father grew up in Marlin,” Thea smirked, once again playing with her dagger, twirling it. Kneeling down and letting it slip just above Merlin’s neck. “I know that the royal family has magic. Why don’t you show me something? Unless, of course, you _can’t_.”

The silence hung thick in the air, the only noise coming from Merlin’s labored breathing. Arthur heard another noise, though; his heart, beating, racing, about to burst out of his chest. Thea’s anger seemed as if it ran so deep that right now, she wouldn’t mind losing the little value Merlin had as a commoner. She wouldn’t care to figure out who he really was or take advantage of him being Arthur’s manservant. If she became certain that he wasn’t Prince Merlin of Marlin, she would kill him.

Merlin’s eyebrows were tense, his whole body was tense. He stared directly at Thea’s face for what felt like hours before his eyes darted to Arthur. 

_Why is he glancing at me like that_? Arthur worried. _He doesn’t look scared of_ her. _He looks scared of_ me.

“Oh, come on, you didn’t tell him?” Thea snickered, but the glare never left her face. “Either your story is fake, or you weren’t as in love as you thought you were.”

“You don’t know what you’re asking me to do.” Merlin’s voice was hushed, but he kept glancing back at Arthur. Merlin’s eyes were wide and panicked, yet somehow resigned. His voice cracked as he begged, “Please.”

Arthur had no idea what Merlin was talking about; this wouldn’t dissuade Thea in the least. The idea of his personal servant, his closest confidante, his _Merlin_ being so desperate to survive right now broke Arthur. He couldn’t let this happen.

Thea’s dagger slipped to just above Merlin’s neck.

“YOU MONSTER!” Arthur screamed, throwing his weight against the bars of the cage. The cage swung, but not enough. It only left him swinging in the air, unable to help Merlin in any way. “If you kill him, you’ll get nothing out of me.”

Thea paused for a moment. Maybe she wasn’t absolutely certain about Merlin yet. Alastor whispered in her ear and she nodded before taking her place back from him, pinning Merlin down. She handed Alastor her dagger. Alastor stopped the swinging of the cage with one hand and held the dagger up to Arthur instead.

“Will you do it to save him?” Thea taunted.

Merlin had to know this was a setup. Arthur was a guaranteed ransom based on his identity, they wouldn’t kill him. It wasn’t as if Merlin _could_ do anything anyway. Their story was blown. Arthur had a feeling, though, that Merlin would open his big mouth anyway and get himself killed even faster.

“He doesn’t need his hands to get me a ransom.” Thea nodded at Alastor. He braced the dagger against Arthur’s wrist. Arthur sucked in a large breath and held it, one thought floating around his mind: he couldn’t fight or be a good king without his hands.

“WAIT!” Merlin screamed, and then paused, looking at Arthur with a devastated expression. He looked broken.

When Merlin opened his mouth again, it wasn’t with the words that Arthur had been expecting.

“Arthur, I’m sorry,” Merlin said, his whole body shuddering. A tear rolled down his cheek.

Merlin’s eyes flashed gold. The room filled with a bright light, blinding Arthur. A wave of air hit the cage and sent it swinging again.

When his vision came back, it was to the sight of Merlin passed out on the ground.

“So you _were_ telling the truth,” Thea snickered. “Time to begin a _real_ interrogation.”

Merlin was dragged away deeper into the cave. 

Arthur was left alone, his mind jolting around even more than the cage. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...i said the action would escalate...lol
> 
> i hope yall liked this :)


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> reminder: this chapter has some violence/gore! it's not too bad, but be warned!

Merlin had magic.

Merlin had _magic_.

 _Merlin_ had magic.

 _Merlin had magic_.

Arthur’s brain didn’t quite know what to think about first. Why Merlin practiced magic? Why he had hidden it? What he was doing with it? It didn’t make sense.

It didn’t make sense for _Merlin_ to be a sorcerer. He was a clumsy servant who had never betrayed Arthur. What was the point of serving Arthur for the past couple years if he could do magic? He didn’t need to serve the prince if he could support himself with sorcery. He didn’t need to act as though he were absolutely defenseless in a fight when he could very likely take out any enemy. The only reason Arthur could think of was that Merlin was biding his time, gaining trust so that he could lash out at the royal family.

But that didn’t feel right. No matter how much anger Arthur felt at this betrayal, he simply couldn’t believe that Merlin was purposefully deceiving him this entire time. He couldn’t think about this right now; Merlin had magic, that didn’t need to make sense.

It did make sense for Merlin to hide his magic. Why he was in Camelot as a sorcerer, Arthur did not know, but he did know that Merlin would be executed if anyone found out. Really, if Arthur weren’t locked in here, his own rage might have carried him away. If this discovery had occurred within Camelot, the two of them free, Arthur couldn’t say for certain that _he_ wouldn’t have lashed out at Merlin.

But he was locked in here, and he did have time to think it out. He just had to figure out what exactly Merlin was doing.

It didn’t make sense for Merlin to be a personal manservant to the Crown Prince of Camelot. What was he _doing_ with his magic? Arthur never noticed anything that was directly caused by magic, though he supposed that Merlin did seem pretty lucky in the fights they found themselves in, and he would sneak around the citadel at night a lot.

But Arthur couldn’t possibly figure that out right now, not without Merlin himself. And Merlin was in danger. Arthur would do anything to get Merlin out of it.

It did make sense for Arthur to figure out what to do next.

He was still in love with the prat. He had already admitted it to the bandits and Merlin, it was time to accept it himself.

Thea clearly believed Merlin was the Prince of Marlin. Arthur supposed that that was one bright side of Merlin having magic. And, now that Arthur thought about it, it suddenly clicked why Uther had never told him anything about Marlin. So why start trading with a magic-friendly kingdom now?

Arthur could only imagine that Uther didn’t know about the royal family, maybe just about the kingdom itself being magic-friendly. Perhaps he had cut ties with them during the Great Purge, and they had somehow convinced them that they didn’t practice magic anymore?

No, that couldn’t be it. Uther would never be so trusting, his war on magic created a certain kind of paranoia that he lived by. Arthur knew his father; Uther had reached out to Marlin under the guise of friendliness, but this was a trap. That, or a way to keep the sorcerers at bay. Camelot didn’t need overseas territory, anyway, it would be too difficult to manage. Arthur suspected that this trade was meant to keep Marlin dependent on Camelot in terms of resources; after all, Marlin’s islands were rather short on the wood and ores which a developing kingdom needed.

Still, it was safe to say that Uther didn’t know about the royal family. Arthur intended to keep it that way. If Uther found out he was sharing his castle with sorcerers, he would slaughter them in their sleep.

And Arthur was back to thinking about Merlin, about what he was supposed to do. He still felt angry, and betrayed, but, most of all, confused. The hot flash of fury that had sparked when Merlin lit up the room had settled down into a simmering anger, clashing with the puzzling passion he still felt for the servant in his heart.

The minute Gaius was done with Merlin, Arthur would rip him away, sit him down, and have a long talk with him. But Arthur had to get Merlin to Gaius first. That wasn’t a question.

Arthur had predicted the chain of events fairly well. The bandits had deprived them of food first, asking questions but not pushing for answers until today, when suspicion had called for the questioning of their story. Now they were separated from each other, and at least they had already gotten their stories straight and backgrounds memorized, but Arthur missed Merlin’s presence. It was difficult knowing that Merlin was somewhere deeper in the cave and that Arthur had no way of knowing if he was alright. He had to assume that the answer to that was no.

Arthur worried about his other prediction. The room with the cage had a fair amount of light from torches on the walls, but those could be put out at any time. And he had no idea where Merlin was now.

Being alone in the dark would not bode well for their minds.

Arthur forced himself to relax against the bars of the cage. It wouldn’t do well to wear himself out now when he couldn’t do anything. He needed a plan to get out.

 _Why hasn’t Merlin done anything_? Arthur realized that Merlin could have used his magic at any point to help them escape. Although Arthur supposed it made sense for Merlin to hide it while it was still a secret; they normally made their way out of these situations easily. But what if that was only because of the magic? Merlin had passed out after creating a light earlier; perhaps he wouldn’t be able to magic them out of this this time, his strength too far gone.

Arthur paused in his thinking. Did he _want_ Merlin to use sorcery to get them out of this? Could he accept that?

He could accept anything that would keep Merlin safe.

Arthur couldn’t pinpoint when he had started feeling a bit too close to Merlin. Was it when they first met, when the stupidly brave commoner had spoken up to the Crown Prince? When Arthur still lived that juvenile, immature teenage reputation of his?

Or was it when he had begun to mature, to become a better person? He could admit to himself that he had almost followed in his father’s footsteps, knowing the people were the most important part of the kingdom but not treating them like it anyway. Relying on Morgana to balance him out and satiate the Lower Town, improving their royal image. He himself hadn’t changed until Merlin.

Arthur had never allowed himself to dwell on these things. Everything in his life was a given, reliable and predictable. He didn’t have time to break that routine and think on the uncertain. Time to think on something different, something new, something that could be.

He wanted it, though. He hadn’t wanted to blurt this out and never get to make sense of it.

It sounded like the heavens wanted the exact opposite, because the next thing Arthur heard penetrated his heart and grabbed it, twisting it and stabbing it over and over.

Merlin was screaming.

* * *

It lasted impossibly long, it felt like hours. And Arthur couldn’t do a damn thing.

He had thrown himself against the bars until the swaying made him too nauseous to continue. Then he kept going until he threw up.

The guards changed once; onto the third day, then. They passed him by silently, ignoring his yells for Merlin, their only acknowledgement a wrinkling of their noses at the smell. Thea and Alastor didn’t come back once.

At some point, Merlin stopped.

Arthur couldn’t tell if it was because Thea had stopped or because she hadn’t.

Arthur wasn’t used to being ignored. Any threats against Merlin were usually made in front of him to motivate him to talk. Merlin didn’t usually have any information of value that didn’t apply to Arthur as well.

Why were they so focused on Merlin, though? So focused on Marlin? He supposed they had been hiding out on that path for something, had taken up this cave as a base for some plan. And Thea knew about the delegation from Marlin and when they would arrive. This was no run-of-the-mill group of bandits; they had a plan. Arthur and Merlin had just interrupted it.

This hideout was just off the official path for the escort of the delegation back to Camelot. And the bandits hadn’t attacked Arthur and Merlin before the Valley of the Kings; perhaps they had been hiding there, waiting for the delegation to come from the other direction. They even could have followed Morgana and Gwen’s group after they had passed through the White Mountains and set up just behind them to ambush the entire group once they came back.

Thea was intending to attack them all along. She just hadn’t realized the opportunity would come so early.

Or so she thought, at least; she didn’t really have the Prince of Marlin, though that was a lose-lose for them. Thea wasn’t getting what she really wanted, but Merlin was trapped, forced to endure her torture.

Suddenly, Arthur heard another scream. Though it was more of a yell, deeper than Merlin’s voice. It didn’t last long, though. Soon, Merlin began screaming again, but it only lasted a few minutes this time. Arthur felt like throwing up again.

Not long after, Alastor thudded into the cage room, shoulders tense and expression tight. Arthur grinned slightly at the bruise on his face.

Unfortunately, Alastor saw that grin, and it only made him angrier. He stomped over to the cage and somehow opened it within a couple seconds, causing Arthur to tumble out without warning.

“It’s your turn, you spoiled pig,” Alastor growled, forcing Arthur to his knees. “Maybe if you cooperate with me, I won’t take your head off.”

Arthur looked up sharply before Alastor yanked at his hair. He could only hope that Alastor’s anger hadn’t taken out Merlin and had only flared up because of him.

Alastor dragged him over to the table of weapons, letting his legs scrape against the cracks and bumps of the cave floor. Clearly, they were done with the royal treatment. Though Arthur realized Alastor had never really done it in the first place; he had treated them roughly from the very moment they had captured the two. Arthur narrowed his eyes; what was Alastor hiding?

Apparently, a dagger, in his belt. That was unfortunate.

Alastor brought the dagger up to Arthur’s neck, letting it just barely pierce the prince’s skin. His breath hung heavy and hot by Arthur’s neck, erratically chilling and heating his skin between breaths. Alastor jerked Arthur so that his ear was right next to his lips.

“You’re going to give me the answers I want,” Alastor breathed quietly, almost hushed, but his grip betrayed his anger and how hard he had to fight to control it. Arthur didn’t want him to lose that battle. “You know what will happen if you don’t.”

Arthur couldn’t speak in response. After everything he had just heard, everything he had been forced to sit around and listen to and not be able to respond to, he had to have a little hope. At least it seemed that Alastor was still using Merlin as leverage.

How had that become a positive?

Arthur nodded as carefully as he could, hardly moving his head. Alastor didn’t loosen his grip, but he ever so slightly pulled his head back. His initial anger had been satiated; now was not the time to resist.

“How long was Prince Merlin at your castle?” Alastor asked.

“What?” Arthur couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise. Why was Alastor so focused on this? Wasn’t he going to ask about Camelot at all?

No, they had targeted this journey because of the delegation from Marlin. This had nothing to do with Camelot. This shouldn’t have had anything to do with Merlin.

But it did, and Arthur had just slipped up. He needed to fix this.

“Um, a little under two weeks or so,” Arthur answered, praying that Merlin had said the same if they had asked him this. They hadn’t quite thought of every detail in their story. What was the significance of this, though?

“And when did your sword fighting practices start...using something other than swords?”

Arthur choked.

This was all about Marlin. He would bet everything in the treasury that Alastor was trying to figure out just how much the Prince of Camelot had learned from the Prince of Marlin. How close they had gotten and what they had said to each other. What secrets were shared.

“About halfway through his visit, maybe six days ago.” Arthur swallowed, trying to clear his throat. His mind raced, searching for any information he could feed to Alastor to buy time. But he was starting to wonder just how much time it would take to get rescued.

“And how much has he told you about Marlin?” Alastor chained Arthur’s hands together behind his back and stood, circling the prince, the dagger still ready in hand. “Anything about their ships?”

“We didn’t really do a lot of talking,” Arthur replied dryly, doing all he could to keep his foot from shaking. He was quick to correct himself, though; he couldn’t let the bite of his sarcasm linger on Alastor’s mind. “I mean, not about logistical royal stuff. It was more personal. That’s why we connected.”

“Save me the pretentious, privileged load of dung.” Alastor rolled his eyes and kneeled down right in front of Arthur, tracing the knife along the front of his shirt. “I don’t care about how you bonded over how difficult it is to be a _royal_. Just tell me about their ships.”

So focused on the ships...was that for future attacks for simple robberies? Or did it have something to do with how Marlin representatives had just docked on the west coast of Camelot?

They didn’t dock publicly, Arthur realized. The ships were disguised as those of commoners to protect their way of passage back to their kingdom. What were Thea and Alastor planning?

“I know they have plenty of guards.” Arthur decided to test out this inkling that the bandits had greater plans. They had planned something beyond the ambush in the mountains. He rushed to add in some actual details for Alastor to bite at. “He said that the royal family used the largest ships, larger than any Camelot keeps, of course. And only of the finest oak.”

Alastor backed off for a moment, stepping over to the table. He hunched over, facing away from Arthur, looking as if he was making a note of some kind. So it was the ships they were after.

If they had been planning on ambushing the delegation in the mountains, what were they planning with the ships?

Arthur’s eyes trailed Alastor’s movements as he stepped back over to the prince. His hands gripped the dagger tightly. The weapon somehow seemed even sharper than it had only moments ago.

“I appreciate your cooperation, Prince Arthur,” Alastor smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. His eyes looked unfocused, almost glazed over with an emotion Arthur couldn’t quite pinpoint. But he suspected it was something to do with whatever hatred the bandit had for royals. “Now that we have that out of the way, I might as well have some fun. I don’t quite have the same concern for your general well-being as Thea does.”

Arthur took a deep breath as Alastor focused the dagger in on the prince’s exposed arm. He held that breath as the bandit sliced through his shirt sleeve, trailing the cold blade along his skin.

The prince shivered as the cool cave air rushed against his body, but that wasn’t the only cause of his goosebumps.

Arthur had never felt so powerless before. Powerless to help himself, yes, but powerless to help Merlin, too. He supposed that the servant didn’t actually need Arthur’s protection, knowing what he did now. He had always thought he was the one protecting the two of them. Now, though, Arthur would have to discover what it was really like when Merlin couldn’t protect him.

Alastor dragged the knife up Arthur’s arm and dug in. Arthur gasped, but then clamped his mouth up. He wouldn’t give Alastor the satisfaction of the “fun” that the bandit wanted to have. He could handle the pain, he just needed to wait for the rescue.

 _The rescue_ , Arthur thought, _the rescue that has taken days already and shows no signs of progressing_.

A deeper cut wrenched Arthur from his thoughts and he grunted. Usually, he had the determination to not give out any information to keep him grounded and strong through the pain. This time, for whatever reason, his captor only wanted to hurt him.

Alastor moved the dagger down, right up against Arthur’s wrist.

Oh no.

“You know, it was my idea earlier to threaten your hands,” Alastor whispered gutturally, his hot breath back up by Arthur’s ear. The dagger dug into his skin, ever so gradually starting to saw. “I didn’t only want to do it to get him to talk. I wanted to see what would happen if such a spoiled royal like you didn’t have everything _handed_ to them on a silver platter. You’ll get a taste of the world that families like yours create.”

Arthur gulped, trying to make it inaudible but he couldn’t tell if he had succeeded because his head was pounding and his heart was beating and his breath was shaking and he was ever so slightly shaking.

This wasn’t a pain that he could steel himself through.

This would last.

Alastor wanted to _hurt_ Arthur. And the prince had no way to stop it.

The bandit took a second to adjust his grip on the dagger before pressing it back against Arthur’s skin. Everything went still for a moment before Alastor began to dig in.

The dagger pierced Arthur’s skin, and the blood dribbled out, slow at first, but then rushing, and Arthur knew that this damage would run deep. His breath quickened as Alastor began slicing even faster. He would hit the bone soon.

But then Arthur heard footsteps rushing from the back of the cave, uneven but rapid. Merlin staggered through the doorway, one hand cradling the other, and came to a stop just a few feet from the bandit and the prince.

“Arthur!” Merlin exclaimed, a small smile gracing his face for just a moment. It soon fell as he focused his steely gaze on Alastor. “Let him go, or you’ll regret it.”

Alastor didn’t lower the dagger. Merlin raised his hand.

“You know who I am, you know what I can do,” Merlin warned, readying himself as best he could in his injured body. Arthur didn’t know exactly what Merlin could do, but he knew who the servant was, and that was enough to save them. He wondered if Alastor would be smart enough to save himself.

They never did discover what Alastor’s decision would be. Before either side could make a move, Thea came sprinting in after Merlin, limping slightly but otherwise appearing uninjured. Arthur’s vision focused in so much on her that when she waved her hand, he didn’t notice her intent at first.

A thud brought his attention back to Merlin, who was now on the floor. With _ropes_ around his wrists and ankles.

“You have magic,” Merlin breathed. He seemed shocked out of his fighting stance, too stunned to fight back. Arthur wasn’t sure what he could do, but they would need to do it fast.

They didn’t do it fast enough.

“I suppose your parents never told you about my father. You’ll wish that they had.” Thea raised her arms and began muttering, the torches on the cave walls flaring wildly around her. Her chanting grew louder.

Suddenly Merlin’s skin began to blister, reddening and almost boiling. The servant started screaming unintelligibly, his back arching and his limbs spasming.

“MERLIN!” Arthur screamed, but he couldn’t do anything. He couldn’t save him.

Suddenly a bright light flashed with a strong wing, blowing out all the torches and knocking everyone aside. Arthur almost thought he heard a loud crashing noise as his vision faded to complete darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you liked this chapter :)


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so...um...it's been a bit since i updated? oops.
> 
> i'm breaking my rule of finishing the next chapter before posting this one, it's been too long. that's why i made that rule for myself, so i'd have something to post in the middle of any writer's block / lack of motivation. i have about a third of the next chapter written. i got really busy with class registration (like INSANELY busy bc my college's system is awfully designed) and then i lost my momentum for this story. i'm going to do my best to finish this before college starts, though!
> 
> ...anyways...
> 
> in this chapter i introduce prince fionn of marlin, aka Decent Fucking Human Being :)
> 
> enjoy!

“Such a beautiful day, isn’t it, Gwen?” Morgana grinned at her faithful maid. The two rode their horses in the middle of a sea of guards, headed toward an actual sea. “It would be quite peaceful if I didn’t feel like I was being defended against an oncoming army.”

She smiled at the knights and guards escorting her to the Great Seas of Meredor, her tone light and playful so they knew she meant no harm. Uther wanted to protect her, after all, and he was paranoid after the incident where she and Gwen had been kidnapped. No number of guards could be enough.

These guards weren’t supposed to all be for her, though. No matter how well Arthur could defend himself, she knew that some of them were meant to be watching him. Uther usually stepped up the protection when foreigners were involved. She didn’t quite know why Arthur and Merlin hadn’t departed with them, though she was sure it was something stupid. Probably Arthur’s fault, if she had to guess.

She also guessed that Arthur had put the blame on Merlin.

Morgana shook her head at the thought of those two. Their bond was unlike any she had ever seen, and she knew that she and Gwen were close for a master and a servant. Sometimes she thought that they needed a whack to the head to see how they had bonded instead of pretending that they weren’t friends. Ever since Merlin had come into Arthur’s life, they had clicked; they just both acted as if they were deaf.

“You think Arthur finally killed Merlin?” Gwen chuckled and glanced over at Morgana with an exasperated look.

“Actually, I’m sure it was the other way around,” Morgana jested as she rolled her eyes. She laughed as she continued, “Really, Arthur throws so many things at Merlin, I wouldn’t blame him. Maybe Merlin’s gotten sick of it.”

“Oh, yes, of course,” Gwen said. “After all, Merlin’s his personal manservant; he has the best access to Arthur’s chambers.”

“Remind me to never give you a reason to abuse your position and kill me.” Morgana smiled. “Now, enough about them. You know the welcome breakfast we’re supposed to have with the Marlin delegation the morning after tomorrow?”

“Yes, of course,” Gwen replied. “I’ll do my best to impress them.”

“I may have called upon some favors,” Morgana said, watching Gwen’s face for her reaction. “You won’t have to work the breakfast, you can dine right alongside me.”

Gwen’s face broke out into a huge smile and she looked at Morgana graciously. “Oh, thank you, Morgana, that’s lovely! I really do hope this isn’t just to keep me from killing you.”

“Of course not,” Morgana assured her. Then she noticed the guards tensing around them and sighed in annoyance. “If any of you so much as think that she’s actually threatening me, I’ll tell Uther that you fell asleep on your watch. I trust Gwen with my life. She’s more than a servant to me, she’s my friend.”

* * *

Morgana wished that Arthur and Merlin would see the same thing about themselves. But, instead, they pretended not to, and made themselves seriously _late_.

Morgana did her best to smile and distract the delegation as they disembarked from their ship, but even she couldn’t explain why the future king of Camelot wasn’t there. Foreign delegations were supposed to receive the utmost respect, top-notch treatment, and the prince couldn’t even bother to be on time. She would need to be as diplomatic as possible to ensure that this insult wouldn’t taint the upcoming negotiations.

So she laughed and made small talk with the members of the delegation as they passed, dancing around questions by dishing out compliments and distracting with connections. She told their visiting physician about Gaius, the group of knights about Sir Leon, and she would tell the royal family about Arthur and Uther. No need to worry the rest of the delegation before the people whom Arthur's tardiness would offend.

Off the ship came Queens Flanna and Deirdre, and then Prince Fionn. She took a deep breath and held her shoulders high, trying to hide how they were stiffening.

Morgana had yet to meet a truly respectful prince; most of them wanted to barter her for a strong relationship to Camelot. She knew how royal marriages often worked, but she didn’t approve, and they could at least have the decency to talk to _her_ instead of negotiating her future with Uther. She wanted to be treated like a person.

She had never met anyone from Marlin, and she knew nothing about the reputation of Prince Fionn. She could only hope that Fionn didn’t think of her as some prize to aspire for during this visit; she certainly wouldn’t parade herself around like one. At least Arthur had had the sense not to mention this to her; she knew it wasn’t something that would change right now. She would simply have to do her best while Uther still ruled and hope that things would change someday.

“Queens Flanna and Deirdre, Prince Fionn,” Morgana greeted, a smile gracing her face. She gave a small curtsy. “How lovely it is to meet you.”

“You as well, Lady Morgana,” Queen Deirdre replied. “I hope that your journey was well?”

“Yes, it was, and yours?” Morgana responded. She saw their eyes glance behind her for a moment; they were searching the escort for someone. _Arthur_.

“It was well, thank you,” Queen Flanna said. “The storms always keep the trips interesting. If you don’t mind my asking, where is Prince Arthur? We were under the impression that he would be meeting us here as part of the escort.”

Morgana took a breath and gave one last glance back at the woods. There was no sign of Arthur or Merlin. They should have arrived by now; Camelot was just under a day’s ride away, and Morgana and Gwen had left late yesterday morning. Even if the two were a few hours late in leaving, they would have arrived in time for the delegation’s arrival.

“There was a delay in his departure,” Morgana replied. “My sincerest apologies for that, I came over ahead of him so that you wouldn’t be left alone. He should be here to escort us by the time we depart for Camelot tomorrow.”

She had braced herself for an angry reaction that never came. Instead, the royal family only smiled back at her, Queen Deirdre taking her hand in what could only be understanding.

“We understand, Lady Morgana, it’s quite alright,” Queen Deirdre said, squeezing her hand before letting it go. “We are simply gracious that Uther has let us come to Camelot at all, it has been far too long.”

Morgana scrunched her eyebrows at that for a moment before she caught herself and straightened her expression. She hadn’t really been aware of any kind of rift between Marlin’s royal family and Uther, though she supposed it made sense since they had never interacted before.

“What she means is that we haven’t had the opportunity to see such beautiful lands in a long time,” Prince Fionn said, sending a glance at Queen Deirdre. “Marlin doesn’t have quite as many mountains or forests since it’s made up of islands.”

“Ah, yes, the islands sound lovely,” Morgana replied, grateful for a change of subject. “I haven’t actually been on a ship before, I simply must visit sometime.”

She continued this conversation with Marlin’s royal family as she led them over to their accommodations for the night, introducing them to Gwen, the other servants, and the escort of guards and knights. Morgana was lucky enough to have this time to figure out what to say if Arthur didn’t show up soon; now she needed to use it.

* * *

Morgana yawned as she woke up, rolling her neck in an attempt to relieve the knot that had appeared overnight. She hadn’t slept very well, partially in an attempt to listen for Arthur’s arrival and partially because she had tried to figure out what to say when Arthur didn’t arrive.

At this point, she knew something was wrong. There was absolutely no reason that they should be so late.

As Gwen dressed her and prepared her for the day, Morgana glanced outside her tent. Arthur’s and Merlin’s wasn’t there.

“Ready for the breakfast, milady?” Gwen asked, pulling her from her thoughts. Morgana smiled back at her. There was no need to worry Gwen; besides, the maid was smart enough to know something was wrong on her own. Saying something about it would only cause the both of them to panic even more.

“Yes, Gwen, thank you,” she replied as they walked out of the tent. “I hope you’re excited, the locals are meant to have prepared a quite unique assortment of foods.”

They made their way over to the communal tent which had been set up for the welcome breakfast. Before they went inside, Morgana eyed the knights standing outside and sent Gwen ahead into the tent.

“You two, can you work back along the official travel path and look for Arthur and Merlin?” Morgana asked, smiling apologetically at the two men. She knew everyone had been looking forward to this breakfast. “I’m sorry to send you away, but they should have arrived already. I will put in a good word for you with Uther and the Chef.”

“Of course, milady,” one of them, Sir Leon, replied. She felt confident that he would do his best; Leon was one of the most diligent knights they had. “We were already planning on asking you about it. We will leave at once.”

“Thank you,” Morgana said, and turned back toward the entrance to the breakfast tent. She peeked through the edges of the fabric to see a grand table set up, Gwen already seated at it. The queens of Marlin were already there, though she didn’t spot Prince Fionn.

“Trying to figure out where to sit so you’ll be next to me?” A voice murmured about a foot away from her ear. Morgana jumped and spun around, her hand over her heart in shock, to see Prince Fionn. He chuckled and shook his head. “Don’t worry, I’m not here to flirt with you. I simply wish to get to know the royal noblewoman who has such a great reputation with the commoners here, they seem to really love you.”

Morgana smiled back. Fionn hadn’t actually invaded her space, after all, he had stayed a respectable distance away while getting her attention. And he wanted to talk to her about her role in the kingdom. This was already a vast improvement upon most of the royal interactions she had had.

The two of them sat next to each other, with Gwen on Morgana’s other side. Fionn introduced himself to Gwen a second time, less formally than last night, and made sure to include her in their conversation. Morgana suddenly did not mind having no other purpose in this welcome other than socializing.

But she did have another purpose, and the world would not let her forget it. They had been dining for about half an hour when Sir Leon came rushing into the breakfast tent, his hair wild and his face red. And, Morgana noticed with a frown, multiple injuries.

Leon made his way straight over to Morgana and leaned in. “Lady Morgana, we need to discuss something with the Marlin royal family,” he whispered.

Morgana scrunched her eyebrows in both confusion and worry, but continued on as if nothing were the matter. She sent out the servants and knights, leaving only the Marlin delegation, Leon, Gwen, and herself in the tent.

“What is it, Sir Leon?” Morgana prompted Leon, who had been waiting to speak.

“Sir Caridoc and I were just riding back towards Camelot to see why Prince Arthur had not yet arrived,” Leon said, his expression darkening. “A bandit approached us and handed us a ransom letter for the Prince of Marlin, and he was on Prince Arthur’s horse. Then...he ran Sir Caridoc through. Said they only needed one of us to deliver the message.”

Morgana gasped in horror. She should have worried about Arthur sooner, he would never be so careless as to be late to something as important as this. Only one thought pierced through her clouding mind; why did the bandits think they had Prince Fionn?

“Well, that’s simply preposterous.” Queen Flanna motioned for the letter that Leon held. “Let us read this supposed ransom letter.”

The two queens sat there reading the letter, Morgana and Fionn peering over their shoulders. It said that they had Fionn and Arthur, and were demanding gold and safe passage away from Camelot. Not signed, though.

“They clearly don’t have Fionn,” Queen Deirdre broke the silence, patting her son on his arm.

“But they must have Arthur,” Morgana noted. She straightened up and began to pace back and forth around the table. “I am certain that they would have sent his insignia ring to Uther in Camelot. And they must have mistaken someone else for Fionn…”

“Merlin!” Gwen cried out, her hand flying to her mouth in shock. “They must have told the bandits that he was a prince to keep them from killing him.”

“Who is this Merlin?” Prince Fionn asked, crossing his arms.

“Arthur’s personal manservant,” Morgana answered, her expression downcast. “They’re closer than brothers, though they wouldn’t admit that. And they have to keep this story up now…”

“We’ll send some of our knights to Camelot to join Uther’s to rescue Arthur,” Queen Deirdre assured her, already giving an order to the one Marlin servant that had remained in the tent.

“Thank you.” Morgana smiled in relief and sank back down into her chair. Gwen, though, didn’t relax.

“What about the ransom?” Gwen spoke up. The Marlin delegation shot her a sharp look and Morgana shushed her, squeezing her hand in support. They couldn’t anger the foreign delegation who had just committed to helping the rescue in goodwill.

“Well, we’ll need to inform them that Prince Fionn is safe and that we will not negotiate with them,” Queen Flanna replied. Morgana’s heart sank. “We will not allow some lowly bandits to pretend they have our son, we cannot let them ruin our family’s strong image here before we’ve even been officially introduced to the commoners.”

“But they’ll kill Merlin if you don’t negotiate!” Morgana exclaimed, her body tense again. She searched the faces of the Marlin delegation for support. Queen Flanna wasn’t swayed, and Queen Deirdre looked sympathetic, but there was too much pity in her eyes to expect her to take action. Fionn only looked down at the ground, unchallenging to his mothers. “Please, Camelot will funnel any payments from its treasury if necessary.”

Not entirely true, but usually the rescue would succeed before actual payments were required. If it didn’t, though, she would rather suffer Uther’s wrath than see Merlin dead.

“I apologize, Lady Morgana, but the knights are all we can do,” Queen Flanna said, already standing up and making to leave the tent. “Negotiating with these lowly bandits would insult our kingdom’s honor, and we simply cannot allow our people or your people to believe that we would stoop so low when it is not even necessary for Fionn. The future relationship between our kingdoms is too important. I’m sure King Uther would agree.”

“I’m sure he would,” Morgana conceded as the Marlin delegation exited the tent. She turned to Gwen and began to panic. “Gwen, what are we going to do? We have to save Merlin, we can’t let them kill him!”

“They won’t,” Fionn cut in from behind Morgana. She gasped; she thought he had left with the rest of the delegation. “I want to help you.”

* * *

“Remind me why we’re stuck doing this again?” Morgana muttered as she, Gwen, and Fionn knelt behind a fallen tree in the Valley of the Fallen Kings. “It would have been easier if your parents would act as if they were negotiating.”

“I know, but I understand why they can’t,” Fionn sighed, looking at the two women sympathetically. “They had to fight hard to marry and rule together. Their marriage isn’t exactly traditional, even if Marlin is a bit more accepting than what I’ve heard about Uther. They’ve only stayed in power by acting strong and unemotional. If they didn’t do everything possible to keep their image away from emotional, incapable women, the men in the court would have their heads. It’s awful, but change has to be slow. We can’t send a different letter for them to help Merlin, it would only spread to commoners that they allowed me to be taken and to the court that they risked the knights at negotiations for a mere servant. But I am going to do everything I can to rescue him.”

“Thank you.” Morgana smiled at him gratefully, and then steeled her expression. “So we steal your parents’ response from the bandit who picks it up, and then get them to lead us to wherever they’re keeping Arthur and Merlin.”

“It’s the best I can do,” Fionn replied before getting back into a prepared position. “With no response from Marlin, though, we’ll have to be quick. We can’t wait for the knights’ rescue of Arthur, it will be too late for Merlin by then.”

They remained silent for a few minutes until two men approached the clearing ahead from opposite directions: Sir Leon and one of the bandits. Sure enough, he rode Arthur’s horse.

The three remained silent while Leon delivered the queens’ letter to the bandit; it was a day after the breakfast, and they had claimed to have set out for Camelot early as an excuse for their absence as the Marlin delegation stayed at the coast until the kidnapping was figured out. They told the guards that had been with them to continue on to Camelot and that they had changed their minds so that no one knew where they were. Thankfully, Fionn’s skills with a sword were enough to convince the guards that they could make it back to the coast unharmed. They couldn’t give any indication that the queens’ planned reply to the bandits was meddled with.

They waited a few minutes for Leon to clear the area, then slowly surrounded the bandit as he readied Arthur’s horse to leave.

“Oh, thank god, I’ve been lost for hours, do you know how to get to Camelot from here?” Morgana suddenly stepped out to distract the bandit so he wouldn’t take off. Gwen led Arthur’s horse away since she had a vague familiarity with her and so wouldn’t scare her. And Fionn silently drew his sword right behind the bandit.

The bandit sneered at Morgana. “You’re quite a ways away, get someone else to help you. From the looks of it, you’ll find someone easily.” He turned around only to be met with Fionn. Morgana picked up her sword from where she had hidden it earlier.

“Going somewhere?” Fionn asked as he put his sword to the bandit’s neck. “Give me the letter.”

The bandit glanced between his three attackers and sighed, clearly recognizing that he was outnumbered. He begrudgingly handed over the envelope which Leon had given him.

“And now you are going to lead us to wherever you’re keeping them,” Fionn continued, tying the man’s wrists together while Morgana kept him at swordpoint. “Maybe we’ll spare you.”

“Oh, please, you’re no match for Thea and Alastor,” the bandit snorted as he began walking. Fionn immediately stopped him.

“ _What_ did you just say?” Fionn growled, pressing his sword into the bandit’s back. It seemed he had heard enough, though, as he swore and looked away.

“What? What is it?” Morgana asked, nervous about Fionn’s behavior. Everything was going to plan, wasn’t it?

“It’s Thea and Alastor,” Fionn sighed and looked straight into Morgana’s eyes. His were filled with worry. “I know who they are.”

* * *

It took them a day to reach the White Mountains and set up a camp to plan out their next move, a day during which Fionn told Morgana and Gwen about Thea and Alastor.

Supposedly, Queens Flanna and Deirdre had more problems with getting married than Fionn had said earlier. Flanna, who had been the Marlin family princess, had an older brother named Patrick. He was firstborn and male, so he should have gotten the throne, but then it came out that he had borne an illegitimate daughter, Thea, with another woman while he was engaged. He lashed out in anger at his serving boy, Alastor, because he suspected him of having revealed the secret to the court. Alastor was severely injured, and Patrick was disowned. So the throne went to Flanna, and Patrick and Thea were sent away to live in Odin’s lands when Thea was only four.

The last that Marlin had heard of Patrick and Thea, she had been learning dark magic to take revenge on her father for harming Alastor, who she was close to. Alastor heard from her by letter and left Marlin to follow her. Neither had ever returned.

“If Thea has magic, how do we fight her?” Gwen asked. “I will do anything to save Merlin and Arthur, but we can’t let her hurt them.”

“Don’t worry,” Fionn said, warily glancing at Morgana. “Marlin’s entire royal family has magic.”

Morgana gasped. Uther had conditioned her to fear magic, to persecute those who had it. How could Fionn keep this from them? Well, of course he had; Uther would declare a war if he found out there was a kingdom run by sorcerers. But what would a kingdom run by sorcerers think of Camelot? Or do to King Uther’s ward, alone in the woods?

No, she had to dispel her worries: Fionn had been the kindest prince she had ever met, and he genuinely wanted to save Arthur and Merlin. She herself had been having unexplained experiences the past few months; perhaps Fionn could help her figure them out. 

“Gwen, it’s alright,” Morgana assured her maid, having noticed how Gwen stiffened. Gwen had grown up the same as she had in regards to the kingdom’s beliefs about magic, just without her own suspicions of having magic herself. “He’s here to help us, we have to let him. It’s for Arthur and Merlin.”

“Thank you,” Prince Fionn said, relaxing his shoulders slightly. “I promise, I will save them.”

“Don’t even think about forcing me to stay back, I’ll just follow you in,” Morgana warned. She refused to sit down and do nothing to save her friends solely because she was a woman.

“As long as you can fight, which I’m sure you can, I want you with me,” Fionn replied. “Lead the way.”

When they got to the bandit’s hideout, Fionn used his magic to take out the bandit guards. Morgana marveled at how they all just fell asleep; perhaps whatever she had didn’t need to be so destructive.

They crept into the cave only to be met with a horrifying sight. Alastor with a dagger to Arthur’s arm, Thea chanting over a screaming Merlin.

Morgana saw two simultaneous blasts of magic: one emanated from Fionn, knocking a large cage from the ceiling down and right on top of Thea, who had been blown into its path. The other, which had seconds before knocked everyone aside, looked like it had come from Merlin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so imagine this chapter was the other storyline going alongside the whole kidnapping thing if this were an episode. ideally i would have placed these scenes throughout the story like an episode would, but this is the way i wrote it and this is the way it's gonna be. lol.
> 
> also this was the second to last chapter :( (maybe that's why i'm having trouble writing chapter 6, i don't wanna be done with it) 
> 
> i really hope yall liked this!


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha...hahaha....ha...guess who lied?
> 
> this is NOT the last chapter! lmao. so like i said, i posted the last chapter before finishing this one. i was writing this and i had a checklist of scenes to include, and then i got to the last one and i already had a full-length chapter and realized i was rushing the ending too much. do not worry! i have actually finished the real final chapter, so after a few edits it should be up in the next couple days before college move in!
> 
> i hope you enjoy this! i really liked writing this one (despite what the time it took me to write may make you believe)

Arthur’s vision faded in and out in beats along to the drumming of his heart and the pounding of his head. At first, complete darkness and only the sensation of an aching pain washing over his senses.

Then a scraping noise manifested both in his ears and against his bare skin, scratching the itches of his brain and his injuries. He felt his limbs thud against the ground and wrenched his eyes open, barely able to squint.

A bright light flooded his vision; wasn’t that what he had seen before he passed out? No, that was different, it was warmer; this was cold and piercing and unforgiving. He forced his eyes to remain open against the pressure, against the pain, against the part of himself that just wanted to let himself go. He _couldn’t_ ; he wasn’t in this alone.

He was with Merlin.

Or, he had been; but he didn’t see his beloved servant now. All he saw was white and grey, a spiraling landscape that went on and on. A dribble of red on the ground beside his head, no...coming from his head, his limbs, his body. But that didn’t matter.

What mattered was that when Arthur turned his head, he saw a man, a _stranger_ tugging Merlin along the earth. Arthur’s mind did not care about the two other silhouettes in his vision, he didn’t care that that vision kept wavering between muddled and nonexistent. All he saw was someone who _should not be touching his Merlin_.

Arthur lunged forward, his muscles screaming and his arms spilling out blood as they tore open from his movement, but he didn’t care. A wild roar escaped his mouth, entirely incoherent, unintelligible, raw and animalistic. He ignored the screams of the silhouettes as he latched onto the stranger’s arm, tearing the man away from Merlin. He succeeded.

But he did not do much more, because his vision faded out for a final time, alongside his body sagging down into darkness.

* * *

The next time he woke up, he saw more red, but this time not from his body.

A flash of gold brought two images to Arthur’s mind: first, the ever so familiar Pendragon crest, the mighty dragon standing in a sea of red. But, second, and much more haunting: Merlin’s face, caked with blood at his temple, and a shine of gold in his eyes before his entire body fell to the ground in a stifling sea of light.

A sharp intake of breath stiffened Arthur’s lungs, and then he felt like he couldn’t let it go. His chest jerked up and down, but nothing came in, and nothing came out. But no matter how hard he held on, nothing good would come of never letting it go. So he did, and he could breathe again, letting it out, and back in, and back out again.

He slowly opened his eyes fully, beyond the squint. He saw more colors now: the red, the gold, but no more white or grey; instead, it was brown, green, faint traces of blue up above. The woods, these familiar woods, the woods that surrounded his _home_.

He could breathe.

He had missed some blue. Most of the tents around were ivory with the red Pendragon crest, guards and knights aplenty surrounding them. But some of them were bathed in blue, a mixture of the sea and the sky. Who were they?

_Marlin_ , his mind supplied. Of course. But why were they here? Why had they shown up to this disastrous, horrific misfortune?

Maybe, just maybe, other kingdoms didn’t have quite as much selfishness as Uther. Or, more likely, they chose the diplomatically smart decision. It wouldn’t hurt to hope for the former, even if he could never confirm it.

“Arthur, you’re safe!” Arthur turned his head to see his father rushing towards him, a relieved smile on his face. What was Uther doing here? He should have remained at the castle for safety, for the good and future of the kingdom.

Maybe he was _that_ worried.

“Father?” Arthur murmured, closing his eyes at the strain of talking. His head pounded with every word. “We’re safe?”

“Yes, my boy,” Uther answered. “Prince Fionn and Morgana just brought you from the bandits’ hideout, and I’ve already directed the knights to capture them. They should be reporting back within a day or so.”

“Alright,” Arthur hummed, letting himself rest. That only lasted for a few seconds before his eyes shot open and he took in a sharp breath, his muscles tensing. “Where’s Merlin?”

“On the way back to Camelot, sire,” Gwen stepped into his view, a strained smile on her face. “Prince Fionn’s escorting Lady Morgana back to the citadel to get Merlin to Gaius, she asked me to stay behind and tend to you.”

“Is he alright?” Arthur knew his servant wasn’t, but he needed to _know_. “Is it bad? I need to see him!”

“Relax, Arthur, he’s just a servant,” Uther said, a slight annoyance in his tone. “If he is too injured, he will be honored. We can always get you someone else.”

“No. We can’t.” Arthur narrowed his eyes at his father. He grimaced as he lifted his body up, wincing at the pain in his wrists as his arms supported his weight. Gwen rushed over to help him, and he stumbled to his feet, swaying from side to side. The maid kept supporting his arms and back, though, and he didn’t fall. “I’m heading back to Camelot.”

“No, you aren’t,” Uther replied sternly, crossing his arms. “You’re too weak, don’t be so foolish. You can hardly walk.”

“I don’t need to.” Arthur nodded at his horse, which was tied to a nearby tree. He pointed Gwen toward Merlin’s horse. “You take Aurelia. We’re not letting anything happen to her.”

“Arthur!” Uther raised his voice, striding over to where Arthur was struggling to mount his horse. Still, he was too slow. “Arthur, get back here!”

But he was too late; Arthur and Gwen were already riding back through the woods, back toward Camelot, back toward Merlin.

* * *

On most days, Arthur took care when riding into Camelot to not hit anyone. This was not one of those days.

He pushed his horse faster and faster through the streets of the Lower Town, yelling at the people to get out of his way. Gwen followed close behind on Aurelia, trying desperately to stay within the narrow path Arthur had cleared.

“Arthur, please, slow down!” Gwen called out from behind him. He gave no indication that he was listening; he focused all his energy on getting to the castle. “You being there won’t make a difference.”

“But what if it does?” Arthur turned his head back for a moment. His eyes met hers briefly before a scream ahead called his attention back to the street in front of him. His voice lowered into a serious tone. “What if I’m not there, and he…”

Gwen became silent behind him as they raced into the courtyard. As he dismounted his horse, though, she was at his side, her hand on his upper arm. She gripped him lightly, and he paused.

“He won’t.” Gwen squeezed his arm gently. She took a deep breath and smiled weakly at him. “You would never let him, he means too much to you. And then he’d be getting out of his duties, you simply can’t accept that.”

Arthur quietly let a breath out of his nose at the joke. It wasn’t enough, nothing could be, but it was better than nothing. He had to have hope.

He would address the fact that Gwen seemed to know about his emotions at another time.

Arthur steeled himself and turned toward the castle.

Then he ran.

He ran and ran and ran through the halls, ignoring the burning pain flaring through his body, colliding into more servants and guards and knights than Merlin on his clumsiest day, not staying behind to help them up like Merlin would. Like Merlin would, if he could. He couldn’t right now.

Arthur would make damn sure that Merlin would be able to mildly injure the people in this castle another day. That a few days ago wouldn’t have been the last time.

He skidded around the corner and up the steps to Gaius’s rooms, skipping two or three at a time. At some point along the way, he had lost his sword, but he wouldn’t need it now.

It was too late for him to have saved Merlin with it.

Arthur burst through the wooden door, his eyes flashing wildly around the room, looking for Merlin. His momentum launched his body forward, but hands caught him, supporting him, lifting him up, steadying him . One set belonged to who was essentially his sister, and he relaxed slightly at the sight of Morgana’s kind face. The other belonged to a stranger.

“Prince Fionn of Marlin,” Fionn said gently, letting go of Arthur as soon as he stood stably. He nodded toward the stairs up to Merlin’s room. “He’s in there. Go.”

Arthur looked at him for a moment more before nodding and stumbling over to the door, wrenching it open. He barely saw Gaius right next to Merlin, who lay in his bed, his limbs sticking out in different directions, bandages in mixed shades of white and red on his body. His eyes were closed.

“Merlin,” Arthur breathed, his chest beginning to heave. He fell to his knees right next to Merlin’s feet, and his hands found their way to grasp Merlin’s. He breathed along to Merlin’s rhythm, sharp intakes and exhales wracking his body. Arthur slowly turned his head toward the court physician. “...Gaius?”

“He’s not doing the best he could, but he is still breathing,” Gaius said quietly, placing a hand on Arthur’s shoulder. “I am hopeful, sire, that he will make it through the night. If he does, he should make a full recovery, barring any unexpected complications.”

“If he does?” Arthur’s eyes went wide and he tightened his grip on Merlin’s hands. “But…”

“His body needs to recover from the blood loss, and I cannot determine the extent of his head injury,” Gaius replied, a dark look on his face. “As long as he has no internal damage and his other injuries are not too severe, he will make it. All we can do for him now is let him rest. Now, sire, if you will let me bandage you.”

“No, I don’t need treatment, he does,” Arthur argued, pushing Gaius back toward Merlin. Back toward the injured young man lying broken in his own bed.

“Sire, please, I can do nothing more for him.”

Arthur didn’t move. “I’m not leaving him.”

“...you don’t have to.”

Arthur remained in his spot by Merlin’s bed, only moving for Gaius to place a stool beneath him. His leg fidgeted, and he didn’t make any effort to stop it. He should have used all his effort before to save Merlin. He did, in fact, it just wasn’t enough.

Vaguely, he was aware of the old physician circling him, tearing away the makeshift bandages Gwen had made and replacing them with cleaner, better ones. Arthur’s eyes never left his dear servant. His dear friend. His dear Merlin.

* * *

Arthur heard muffled voices, though he didn’t see anything. He scrunched his eyes in confusion before noticing that they hadn’t been open in the first place. The darkness then gave way to light, forcing him to shield his eyes for a moment before taking in his surroundings.

He still sat on the stool, but slumped against the wall, his neck twisted into a painful position. One he assumed he had taken because it led to a direct view of Merlin, who still lay in his bed. Gaius was no longer in the room.

Arthur wasn’t completely alone; it was only him and Merlin in the room, yes, but he could hear people speaking and shuffling around down the stairs in Gaius’s chambers. It sounded like quite a few people.

He took another look at his servant in the bed. The young man wasn’t waking up any time soon, and Gaius was right; there was nothing else they could do for him. Maybe Arthur needed to take this time to do something for himself.

He opened the door of Merlin’s room to see Morgana, Gwen, and Fionn crowded around the table, drinking water and cheering themselves up as much as they could in this situation. No Gaius, though.

“Where’s Gaius?” Arthur asked, causing everyone in the room to notice him and stop talking. They all stared at him for a moment before Morgana composed herself.

“He’s out gathering herbs,” she said, flashing the best smile she could muster at him. “They’re special, supposed to make Merlin feel better when he wakes up.”

When Merlin wakes up...but what if Merlin _didn’t_ wake up? And what would happen if he did? Arthur’s face fell involuntarily, and he glanced away from the group to hide his panic.

It didn’t seem to work.

“Arthur, he has a better and better chance the longer he’s gotten without complications,” Gwen assured him, pulling him over to the table to sit beside her. “I know you, I know you did everything you could.”

“No, I could have done better…” Arthur retorted, though his true anger was directed inwards. “If I had taken out more of them when we were ambushed—”

“—then only a couple more would have been dead, they would have still overpowered you, and they’d be angrier,” Fionn responded to him. “Prince Arthur, the only reason we were able to get through them when we rescued you was because of my magic. These weren’t run-of-the-mill bandits; because of Thea and Alastor, I’m thinking they were thugs sent by Odin to derail negotiations between Marlin and Camelot. There wasn’t anything you could have done.”

Arthur was stunned into silence for a bit. He knew there had been something off about the bandits the moment they attacked. He silently mused on the idea as Fionn recounted the story of who Arthur and Merlin’s kidnappers were and how things had happened from their side of things. Then Arthur remembered the entire other topic that needed to be discussed.

“ _Magic_.” Fionn stopped in the middle of his rambling and studied Arthur carefully, nervously scratching at his hair.

“Prince Arthur, I know Camelot’s views on magic, but please do not harm my family, I beg you,” The prince’s eyes betrayed his slight fear, but his expression was steady and determined. “I don’t intend to hold this against you, but I will use the I-saved-your-life token to protect my parents if needed.”

“No, I...I don’t know,” Arthur admitted. He ran his hand through his hair and huffed out a breath, a joyless smile coming to his face. “I mean, what am I expected to do? What am I supposed to do? Lynch the person who saved my life? Who saved Merlin’s? And lynch Merlin, as well? My father would…”

Silence filled the air, hanging heavily right at the center of the table. Arthur sucked in a breath; what if they hadn’t realized Merlin had magic? What if he had just given up Merlin’s secret to two Camelot-born women who agreed with Uther?

But he could let out that breath, because Morgana had never really agreed with Uther; in fact, she had fought against him from the very early years of her life. And Gwen wouldn’t harm a hair on Merlin’s head, even if it was hard for her to accept. Arthur supposed the two of them were alike in that fashion, though Arthur’s connection to Merlin was deeper than hers ever could be. Than anyone’s ever could be.

“He has magic, we...we saw,” Gwen mumbled, staring fixedly at a shelf of medicine over Morgana’s shoulder. The lady, though, moved her head into Gwen’s vision and seemed to bring back her thoughts. Her expression set and she looked straight into Arthur’s eyes. “Merlin would never hurt a thing, there’s not a drop of evil in him.”

“Of course, that’s what I’ve always thought of him,” Arthur responded, grinding his teeth on his cheeks. He suddenly slammed the table and growled, causing the others to jump. “But he didn’t tell me. We’re supposed to trust each other, we...we _get_ each other. But he hid something _this big_ from me.”

“Excuse me, sire, but how do you think you would have reacted if he had told you the day you met?” Gwen asked, a hard look on her face. “Heavens, even if he had told you a few weeks ago?”

Arthur fell silent. Of course this wasn’t fair of him. He had thought about this himself, back in the cage when he had first found out. He knew that he probably would have lashed out if he hadn’t been trapped and Merlin hadn’t been in imminent danger.

But that didn’t change their situation now.

“Well, how am I supposed to act around him?” Arthur said, his eyes flitting between the others at the table. Fionn looked sympathetic, as if he had done something like this before. He probably had. Gwen looked like she didn’t know any better than Arthur. Morgana, though, looked very pensive, a hint of sadness mixed with hope on her face. “I don’t know if things can go back to normal. I don’t know what to do when he wakes up.”

“No matter how angry you are at him, being there, right at his side as he wakes up, will make a difference,” Morgana said, crossing her arms, almost hugging herself. “I think that’s the kind of reaction he’ll need if there’s going to be any deeper trust in your future relationship. It’s what I’d want, anyway...”

Before Arthur could respond, Fionn pulled her to the side, by the door leading out, and said some things which Arthur couldn’t really make out, not that he was trying to. He was more focused on what Morgana had said and how it applied to Merlin. Whatever the other prince was saying, it surprisingly caused her to throw her arms around him and smile brilliantly.

Gwen tapped his shoulder, bringing his attention back to her seated right beside him.

“I think you and Merlin have a lot to talk about,” Gwen said in a hushed voice, a small smile forming on her face. “Once you get past the anger in your head, you’ll have to do something about what’s in your heart.”

“How did you know I told the bandits that Merlin and I were in love?!” Arthur exclaimed, his cheeks flaring red. He hadn’t thought that would be in the ransom letter. Gwen’s eyes widened, though, and he realized his mistake. “I mean, um…”

“You _what_?” Gwen snorted, covering her mouth with her hand. “Excuse me, Arthur, but...that sounds like a pretty serious excuse to come up with on the spot. The best lies come from a place of truth, you know. I’m serious, though, you have to acknowledge your feelings.”

“I...still don’t know how you knew,” Arthur admitted. He supposed his connection to Merlin was deep, he just hadn’t realized how obvious it apparently was. “I guess you’re right. But how do I do that?”

“Just talk to him.” Gwen smiled at him, her head tilting. She slowly smirked. “You could always ask Morgana for advice, she’d love to get you two to admit your feelings.”

“Morgana knows too?” Arthur said, just a bit too loudly, drawing Fionn and Morgana’s eyes over to them. “Of course she does…”

“Gwen, we’re going to go meet Uther, Deirdre, and Flanna in the courtyard, would you come with us?” Morgana asked kindly, waiting patiently for her maid. “Arthur, I’ll cover for you with something about your injuries. Take your time.”

Gwen squeezed his arm one last time in support before gathering her shawl and Morgana’s and heading toward the door, leaving Arthur alone at the table.

“Can I just ask you something?” Arthur called out to Fionn just before he and Morgana left the room with Gwen. “What’s with the fish-worship?”

“Ah, marlin tastes wonderful,” Fionn replied. He smirked at Arthur’s blank stare. “So good that the elders would summon some for special occasions. They’re good omens because they’re rare in our waters, and only the truest of sorcerers can summon a pure life.”

Arthur blinked. Maybe he’d ask Merlin to get him some.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah, i love leaving you all in anticipation of the next chapter, especially since you thought that this one would conclude things. the payoff i get for writing this besides personal satisfaction and comments.
> 
> as i said before, the last chapter should be up probably tuesday-ish!


	7. Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> does early wednesday morning count as tuesday-ish? i say yes bc i haven't gone to sleep yet >:)

“Is Aurelia alright?” 

Of course those were the first words out of Merlin’s mouth. Arthur would oblige with this choice of topic; the next conversations they’d have would be difficult.

“Yes, she is, Gwen rode her back here,” Arthur assured him, drawing up the most comforting smile he could. “And, before you ask, Morgana and Gwen are fine. They actually helped rescue you with Prince Fionn of Marlin.”

Merlin gasped, and it was almost laughable if not for the fact that he had tried to sit up at the same time. He groaned, and Arthur gently helped push him back down onto his mattress. The servant peered over his shoulder down into Gaius’s empty chambers for a moment before focusing back on Arthur and remembering the last part of his sentence.

“You’ve met the real prince?” Merlin asked, his eyes slightly wider than normal. “Oh, please tell me he’s not angry that I impersonated him, I don’t need to be loaned to help another royal prat during his stay here when he already has a grudge against me. I’ve had enough of that.”

“Merlin, he helped rescue you, he isn’t angry,” Arthur replied, shaking his head at Merlin. When would he learn? Then Arthur pointed his finger at him. “And you will _not_ be sent to help anyone but yourself. You’re staying right here until you recover, and then maybe another week after that.”

Merlin seemed to come to his senses at that moment and remember his injuries, hissing in pain. “I feel like I’ve been crushed by a dragon.”

“Yeah, well, that’s what happens when you apparently have and use the power of one,” Arthur stated dryly, keeping his tone as even as he could. He’d let Merlin know he was angry, but not yet. Not now. Maybe in words, but not in tone or physicality.

“Okay, um, now I kind of remember what happened…” Merlin trailed off, going into thought. When something sparked his mind, he chuckled nervously and looked at Arthur fearfully. “Um...Thea...cursed me?”

Not a very bright spark in his mind, then.

“It’s not going to work, Merlin, I saw you.” Arthur raised his eyebrows. Just because he knew didn’t mean Merlin didn’t have to admit it. Arthur had done his part in building a bridge by showing up to talk; Merlin needed to do his. “Multiple times.”

“Yeah...Arthur?” Merlin’s voice completely flooded with fear now. He fixed his eyes on a point in the wall over Arthur’s shoulder. “What are you going to do to...?” His voice trailed off and he looked back into Arthur’s eyes. Arthur knew what he was asking.

“I’m not hurting you,” Arthur replied instantly. Merlin’s shoulders sagged in slight relief, but they were already so tense to begin with that they were still hunched up. “Or arresting you. Beyond that...I don’t know. But I don’t want to lose you. To anything.”

“Okay…” Merlin questioned, dragging the word out a bit. He was clearly confused just as much as Arthur. “But how are you feeling?”

“Betrayed,” Arthur said truthfully. No matter Merlin’s reasoning, Arthur couldn’t control his own emotions. “I have had a lot of time to think about this, and I’m still angry but not raging. I get that you didn’t tell me to protect yourself. It’s just a pretty hefty secret to keep from someone you’re so close with.”

“Arthur, I did it to protect you.” From the look in his eyes, Merlin was dead serious. Arthur didn’t want to think too much about Merlin being dead, though he was intrigued by this claim. “Well, first of all, I have only been using my magic to protect you. And, if I had told you, either you would have killed me and I wouldn’t be able to help you, or you would have had to lie to your father. In the beginning, the first one would have happened, and as we got close I worried more and more about the second. I couldn’t put you in that position, it would be a burden on your everyday life that I wasn’t sure you’d take. And all to protect your lowly manservant?”

The prat wasn’t even thinking selfishly about his own life! Arthur couldn’t believe how selfless Merlin had been thinking about his role in Arthur’s life and how to keep it. No matter how much he appreciated loyalty, this was too much to ask. Merlin may have extreme magical power, but he didn’t need to throw that all at Arthur and not protect himself.

“Hey, no, you’re more than that and you know it,” Arthur assured as he gently grabbed Merlin’s arm. He had to squeeze Merlin’s arm gently to draw his attention back from what could only be dark thoughts. He couldn’t have Merlin thinking like that. “I know I cannot speak on my past from the beginning, but I would never have outright killed you. Something would have happened, I don’t know what, but it won’t happen now. I am absolutely willing to take on any burden for you.”

“...oh. Well, I’m willing to do the same. It’s not as if I’ve gained anything from hiding in the shadows and having to lie to everyone in my life, besides helping you It’s actually been quite...lonely.” Merlin fell silent after that, and the two of them simply sat in each other’s company for a bit. Arthur didn’t mind; he didn’t quite know how to directly respond, as he hadn’t fully processed Merlin’s emotional status from his last statements, and he had to formulate his words for the next part of their conversation.

Somehow, Merlin sensed the topic to come before Arthur could even open his mouth. “One more thing, Arthur, you really care about me that much?”

“It’s not just that I care about you, Merlin,” Arthur started, taking a deep breath before he continued. He made direct eye contact with Merlin, fiddling with the edge of the servant’s blanket. “I, um...I care _for_ you. I only lied to the bandits about one part of our story.”

“ _Oh_.” Merlin lay there, silently staring at him. His mouth hung open for a few moments while he seemed to be working out what to say. Arthur crossed his arms and looked away, his nerves taking over. His leg bounced up and down.

“Arthur?” Merlin called him back to the moment. Arthur’s leg stilled. “I...I wasn’t acting for the bandits either.”

Arthur let a small smile cross his face, though it threatened to slip off rather quickly. “I’m glad. Truly. Still, though, I’m not sure how we…”

“Arthur, I understand,” Merlin said. Arthur could see the pain in his eyes, but the young servant only drew up his usual grin.

“You do?” Arthur responded dejectedly, yet with relief. “It’s not what I want…”

“Oh, I really, really would love to see Uther’s face if he found out,” Merlin chuckled, though it was tinged with sadness. “I know he can’t though.”

“...about either thing.” Arthur let that idea sink into both of their minds. How was he supposed to do this? To deal with either secret? Well, he’d have to figure it out, because Merlin desperately needed an answer now. “I’m not going to tell anyone. I...still have to get used to both ideas. But they’ll stay secret.”

“Thank you,” Merlin said sincerely, grabbing Arthur’s hand to hold it in his own. “Who knows, maybe it’ll be fun to sneak around a bit.”

Arthur stared blankly as Merlin waggled his eyebrows. The prince raised his own.

“We’re not sneaking around like young teenagers.” Arthur regained some regality in his tone, though he smiled at Merlin’s suggestions. “Though, perhaps we can sneak around a bit, for now. And then…”

“I know,” Merlin said, squeezing Arthur’s hand. “It’s enough for now.”

Arthur let his lips fall to Merlin’s forehead, kissing him softly as he tucked the injured young man in under his blankets. “Maybe you could become more than even a prince one day. Of course, you’ll always be a prat.”

* * *

Gaius returned soon enough to be present to be changing Arthur’s bandages as Uther strided into the physician’s chambers. The prince sat back in the main room, giving no indication that he had been so attached to Merlin’s bedside for the past night and morning.

He didn’t need to give Uther any more reason to look closely at his behavior with Merlin. It maddened him to no end, but he had lived with his father his entire life. He knew that Uther’s mind would never stray from his beliefs; he was set in his opinions for life. All Arthur could do was mitigate the impact that those opinions had on the kingdom and the people in his life, no matter how much he hated it. Change had to be slow.

If he was being honest, as horrible as it sounded, he was glad for his father’s ironclad enforcement of his own beliefs. It served as an excuse for Arthur to not have to rapidly develop his own opinion on magic and incite radical change in the kingdom due to his recent revelations. He and Merlin would be okay, Arthur knew that, but he also knew that it would take him time to wrap his head around their new reality, particularly due to their new dynamic.

It wasn’t a completely awful one, though.

The negotiations had gone on as planned, just with a different servant sent to personally assist Prince Fionn and Arthur left with various castle servants. Camelot and Marlin had agreed on an extended stay due to the exhausting ordeal of the past few days, and to give their loyal knights a much deserved break.

Thea and Alastor had been caught along with what seemed to be most of their bandits not long after the rescue. Uther had agreed to turn them over to Queen Deirdre and Queen Flanna despite his obvious anger at the use of magic in his lands, while he would undertake a closer look at Odin when the upcoming peace talks occurred with the other kings. Arthur had suspected that this act of goodwill had an underlying purpose, perhaps to leave the Marlin family indebted to Camelot right before the negotiations, but he didn’t care. The despicable criminals would be gone, far away, and with the people who knew their past. And this time, he knew that Marlin likely wouldn’t be using banishment as their solution.

If they did, Arthur would personally sever the bond between their kingdoms in an instant. He wasn’t risking any more harm coming to Merlin.

Though he knew that wouldn’t happen. He had befriended Prince Fionn over the last few days, at first out of diplomacy and gratitude for his help, but then a genuine respect formed. The Marlin prince, though, actually seemed to be much closer with Morgana. Perhaps Uther’s old-fashioned hopes of an arrangement had succeeded?

No, he knew that wasn’t it. He knew Morgana, and he knew that she hadn’t suddenly fallen in love. He had Gwen confirm the whole thing to him, and there was no way Morgana would have hidden something like that from her.

Whatever she was hiding, it was making her happy, and she was much calmer and lighter in her movement, as if a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She smiled a lot, and not just to seem cheerful; she genuinely was. Arthur wouldn’t push her to talk until she was ready. If there was anything the recent events with Merlin had taught him, it was that he could handle monumental secrets from the people he loved. He wasn’t exactly itching for another one immediately, though.

Arthur’s mind hovered back on the phrase that had crossed his mind. _The people he loved_. Multiple people fit the term: Morgana, Uther (as his father, despite their disagreements), even Gwen and Gaius in a way. But his brain only focused on one.

Merlin.

The young servant had recovered quickly. Arthur had asked Merlin to spare all of the details on his magic (the prince wasn’t entirely ready to just casually discuss it), but it seemed that once Merlin had regained his magical energy after having exerted it all multiple times, it had helped speed up his healing.

No matter what Merlin said, he _was_ going to be resting for at least the next day. Four days ago, it was all Arthur could get Merlin to agree to rather than the full week he had wanted. Apparently Merlin’s desire to protect Arthur wasn’t the only thing that had him working for him.

Merlin genuinely wanted to serve Arthur because he believed in his future as a great king.

It was a strange idea to be in love with a servant. It wasn’t the class difference, but instead the fact that Merlin was _his_ servant. Arthur knew it would change as soon as he assumed the throne, though, for now, it was deeply touching to be in love with someone that was so devoted to him. Arthur planned on being just as devoted to Merlin.

Except when he snuck off to the tavern instead of working. Maybe Arthur would let it slip a few extra times, though. Or join Merlin.

Tonight was the final feast to sum up the negotiations and give a farewell to the Marlin delegation, which would be departing in the morning. Uther had never found out a thing about the royal family, though Arthur was a bit suspicious on just how much they had gotten out of Camelot’s promise to export wood resources. Arthur would definitely be balancing their trade agreement in the future; he didn’t want Marlin kneeling in dependence to Camelot.

One day, he hoped that the two kingdoms could work together to accomplish great things. If anything was going to happen for Merlin during Arthur’s rule, Marlin would be the kingdom to help.

After all, not everyone in Camelot was in love with someone who forced them to confront what they’d believed their whole lives. They would need a good, strong example to comfort their minds into accepting change.

Now, Arthur was dressing himself for the feast, having dismissed the servants trying to help him. He had spotted Gwen while he was on his way to his chambers looking rather harried, and discovered that the preparations for the feast had fallen behind. He could dress himself to ensure that everyone else did all they could to make sure the feast began on time and went seamlessly.

Though he was having trouble with his own seams. He internally aimed his thoughts at Merlin, insisting that he could in fact put his shirt on correctly on his own. It wasn’t his fault that he could normally get someone else to do them!

Suddenly everything fell into place, and Arthur grinned. He had done everything correctly! He cheered for himself before clearing his throat at the thought of praising himself for such a meager feat.

Then a pair of hands made their way into his vision. Arthur screamed.

He spun around, hand on his heart, the very picture of a peasant in distress. And of course it was Merlin standing there, not even fighting his grin, doubling over in laughter.

“ _Merlin_!” Arthur yelled, shaking a pointed finger at the other man. “ _You_ are supposed to be _resting_!”

“Well, good thing I wasn’t,” Merlin replied, a smirk on his face. He nodded to the window. “You’re about to be late.”

Arthur stood in place for a moment, not wanting to give in to Merlin, but he eventually cursed as his worries forced him over to look out the window. Sure enough, Morgana and the Marlin delegation were already preparing for their entrance into the dining hall. And Uther seemed to be waiting for someone. Him.

“You refill my goblet and my goblet alone,” Arthur ordered, though without any bark. He had known Merlin long enough to know that he wouldn’t simply go back to his bed and rest. He silently acknowledged Merlin’s appreciative expression with a nod, and began striding out of his chambers. “Come on, you have to get me _somewhere_ on time.”

The two of them rushed down through the castle as they had just the week before, though Arthur varied his steps a little this time. He walked side by side with Merlin when no one was there, like before, and, when they stepped into the courtyard in the view of everyone else, he did the same. Though this time, he didn’t mask their positions as a conversation. Even if he had tried to make Merlin seem like less than a lowly servant before this whole ordeal by walking alongside him, he had always disguised it with orders of some kind.

This time, he didn’t even talk to Merlin. He just looked at him as an equal. Arthur chose this to be his silent defiance against his father. He knew he couldn’t take it farther, but this was enough for now. Just like their hiding would have to be.

That didn’t mean he would wait around forever. An idea floated around in his head of revealing this all to Uther when he was older and Arthur was more in control of his own life and the kingdom. He relished in the anticipation.

For now, though, Arthur would take part in the same old banter he had with Merlin, appreciating the real relationship they had and the dynamic they had formed over the past couple years. The stolen glances and small smiles and light touches were an added bonus.

Arthur took his place in the entrance line, just behind Morgana, next to Fionn, and in front of Flanna, Deirdre, and Uther. He thought for only a moment before pulling Morgana backwards, right in line next to himself and Fionn.

He didn’t need to look behind himself to know that Uther’s eyes were burning holes in the back of his head. Arthur simply smiled at Morgana, whose lack of surprise indicated that perhaps she had even been considering doing this herself. Of course she was. He didn’t mind having made way for her to do it so she didn’t have to fight.

The line began entering the dining hall, music playing and the nobility rising from their seats as the royalty entered. Merlin trailed just behind Arthur and off to the side. Arthur pulled him up closer as well, though not as blatantly as he had Morgana.

Change still had to be slow.

Gaius sat at the table just next to the royal one, a thank you for what he had done for Arthur, who perhaps had slightly exaggerated his injuries and Gaius’s treatment of them as a thank you for caring for Merlin. Uther never appreciated Gaius enough; he would act friendly and then turn on his “friend” whenever a hint of disagreement came up. Arthur wanted to make sure that the old physician got what he deserved. For saving Merlin, that meant the world.

Everyone wore colorful gowns and robes and coats, the music sounded just as vibrant in energy and spirit, and everyone seemed happy. With the negotiations concluded, Deirdre and Flanna seemed to have relaxed. Uther surprisingly hadn’t made any comments about them. Whether it was a friendly front to forge a positive relationship to hide the dependent one he had begun to establish or not, it didn’t matter. It made a difference because everyone else here was watching his behavior and learning from it.

Morgana had always been conscious of public opinion, not selfishly but selflessly. Arthur now understood just how important it could be. And it would be, once he became king.

He wrangled that term around in his mouth, the reality of his future setting in. Interacting with another kingdom, one so different yet so open to working together, over the past week had taught him a lot. He supposed he would be learning many more things in the coming years as his father turned him into more of a leader than a warrior in training.

Arthur didn’t want to admit it to anyone, but he was slightly scared by that future. The weight of the kingdom would rest on his shoulders. But he knew that just as he would take on any burden for Merlin, he would do the same for his people. And Merlin would be at his side all along.

Just as Merlin was tonight, standing dutifully by Arthur’s seat, filling his goblet every now and then. He spilled a few drops, or more than a few, though Arthur didn’t comment on it. Someday, a new servant would be pouring wine for the two of them, sitting and dining together, and that servant would spill sometimes too. Merlin wouldn’t say a thing.

Though, Arthur supposed, he wasn’t planning on that new servant being quite so clumsy _all the time_. It wouldn’t hurt to keep up his usual complaining with Merlin; that was just how their relationship worked.

“ _Mer_ lin, try to get it into the goblet at least half of the time, you prat,” Arthur drawled, a grin on his face as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. Merlin leaned forward to hopefully pour more carefully, this time into a new goblet. He did, in fact, not spill.

“My apologies, sire,” Merlin said, a suspicious smile on his face as he leaned his lips closer to Arthur’s ear. He could almost feel a shaking in the servant’s breath. What was up with his breathing? Merlin dropped his voice to a low tone. “I was just distracted trying to figure out how to tell you about the dragon downstairs.”

“The _WHAT_?!” Arthur exclaimed, in a notably _not_ low tone. He slapped his hand over his mouth as everyone in the room snapped their heads to stare at him and Merlin.

Arthur took a deep breath. He supposed he would have to get used to this.

He didn’t mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and...it's completed! this has been my little quarantine summer project and i've had so much fun with it, i'm sad and happy to have finished it. i really enjoyed writing this chapter in particular, not a lot of action but definitely a more serious, theme-heavy chapter.
> 
> if anyone is like me and likes to leave their comments at the end of fics so they can sum up all of their thoughts, please feel free to do so! this has been my most popular fic so far, and i've really enjoyed hearing from each and every one of you, whether you leave a couple simple words like "i liked this!" or a paragraph. thank you to everyone who has left me a comment, you really hyped me up to keep writing this!
> 
> please come yell at me on tumblr @ cosmicaddress if you would like to!


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